Fertilizer

ILSoyAdvisor Soy Envoys recapped the top agronomic challenges of 2024 and what potentially lies ahead for 2025 in an Illinois Soybean Association Field Advisor podcast.

While the extended dry, warm fall has made harvest of corn and soybeans smoother for farmers, it also means farmers might have to put the brakes on when it comes to fall fertilizer applications.

Soybean farmers have benefited from decades of checkoff-funded research that’s pushed yields, and now a program is taking those efforts to the next level.

Moderate to severe drought conditions across the Corn Belt provided ideal conditions for fast harvest, but it also draws questions about fall fertilizer strategies and tillage if the weather trend continues.

With his eight-year commitment to the Army National Guard, Chuck Hanley was able to juggle his agriculture careers with his service.

Examples of typical and not-so-common cover crops used in corn and soybean rotations were featured in a recent plot tour on the Farm Progress Show grounds.

A 2025 outlook on crop protection products, fertilizer and government regulations was presented at the recent 4R Field Talk, hosted by the Illinois Soybean Association and Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association.

As the cropping year winds down in his part of Illinois, Eric Miller looked back on his two decades of farming in the central part of the state with gratitude.

Farmers and ranchers are leading the way in climate-smart practices that reduce emissions, enrich the soil and protect our water and air, all while producing more food, fiber and renewable fuel than ever before.

The focus at Schoepp Farms LLC is to keep soil and nutrients on the land.

Like farmers and ranchers, veterinarians love to pour concrete. Many build customized facilities dedicated to their animal health mission: examination rooms, operating theaters, cattle chutes, holding pens, loading docks.

Bayer unveiled FieldView Drive 2.0, a small plug-and-play device that farmers can use to connect, monitor and record activities across different farm equipment types and brands.

As you make your way through another busy harvest, it’s important to record your field observations in order to make informed decisions for next year’s product selections.

As you make your way through another busy harvest, it’s important to record your field observations in order to make informed decisions for next year’s product selections.

Corn harvest started on the Rahn farm at the middle of September, which is typical for them.

Well, it’s dry again and we really could use a good soaking rain. The grass pastures had been growing nice up to about two weeks ago when they started feeling the effects of no rain.

Beef production spans generations in the Hanson and Kuipers family in Iroquois County where they operate a forage-based program utilizing a paddock grazing system along with growing corn, soybeans and wheat.

A new nutrient applicator with the ability to spread fertilizer at wider widths, higher rates and faster speed debuted at the Midwest Ag Industries Exposition.

Data from seven years of field trials that focus on improved soil and plant health while balancing fertility and whole-system efficiency was highlighted in a recent plot tour.

As harvest season approaches in northern Indiana, farmers like Clay Geyer are preparing their equipment and fields for the crucial months ahead.

A new Land Use Change Initiative is leading efforts to resolve inconsistencies in definitions, metrics and methodologies for quantifying land use change.

Providing improved seeds, tools and fertilizer along with training is changing the lives of farmers in Uganda through a project developed by Joe and Nathalie Schmidt.

An agricultural production system that integrates crops and livestock into a single interconnected practice in one field was the top yielder in Precision Technology Institute’s trials last year.

The difference between nitrogen production costs of $3.12 and 4 cents per gallon is lightning in a bottle — literally — for new trials at Precision Technology Institute.

The four Rs of nutrient management can lead to the three “it’s.” Radicle Agronomics from Precision Planting addresses all seven.

What is the condition of your corn and soybean crops and what are your thoughts about the grain markets as we start down the homestretch of the growing season and begin to prepare for harvest?

With planting and harvest completed on his farm for now, Eric Miller has plenty to do as the middle of summer arrives.

As soon as the large mahogany door in the congressional building was opened, the farmers were greeted with hellos and handshakes. “Do you want some Indiana popcorn?” the staff in Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Pence’s office proudly asked.

Berkeley Boehne and his brother, Vaughn, raise corn, soybeans and wheat on their DeKalb County farm, where they also feed pigs and operate a custom manure application business.

Researchers at Purdue’s Agronomy Center for Research and Education are addressing an important issue to farmers everywhere — drought tolerance.

Clay Geyer, former From the Fields columnist, is back this year to share updates from his farm in northern Indiana.

Aaron Rients wears a lot of different hats — farmer, seed dealer, board member and field trialist, among others.

We just started to spray with the corn at V5, V6. It’s 65, 70 degrees now and calm. So, it’s a good day for application. We hope to get that done in three days.

In the world of greenhouse gas emissions, carbon dioxide gets most of the blame. But tiny organisms that flourish in the world’s farm fields emit a far more potent gas, nitrous oxide.

The third round of Fertilizer Production Expansion Program grant recipients, including four in Illinois, was recently announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

A fertilizer tank leak has resulted in a miles-long fish kill in central Indiana, environmental officials said.

Despite adverse weather last year, including an extended dry period, Illinois corn averaged 206 bushels per acre and soybeans hit 63 bushels per acre, much to the surprise of many.

Heavy rains that have hit portions of Illinois and Indiana raise concerns over the survivability of corn that’s already planted and other issues that go along with a wet spring.

The Department of Treasury released guidance on its sustainable aviation fuel credit program that allows corn and soybeans to qualify as feedstocks for SAF with stipulations.

The announcement of guidance on eligibility for the sustainable aviation fuel tax credit was met with both concern and optimism.

Federal policymakers have a problem: Their hope to make corn and soybeans the feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel hit a wall when the aviation industry ruled biofuel from either crop did not meet its “sustainable” guidelines.

From as far back as he can remember, farming and the fire department have been a part Wade Knobloch’s life.

As trees, shrubs, perennials and insects enter a new phase of life in our gardens, we, too, emerge from a type of dormancy in spring, a pause from yard work. Well, buckle up, buttercups. It’s showtime.

For Doug McKalip, the chief agricultural negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, removing barriers to and boosting U.S. agricultural exports and trade is a work in progress.

I recently started my seeds — tomatoes, squash, zucchini, beets, various herbs and beans. They barely fit on my kitchen counter, which becomes a transient nursery every spring.

There’s not a day that goes by, when farmers aren’t thinking about how to leave the land better than we found it.

In spite of challenges, corn-on-corn acreage remains a popular choice on many farms.

Extensive multiyear, in-field trials found a key to unlocking the challenge of meeting the final goal of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy.

Ethanol can be used for many things in addition to fuel.

Snowfall and rain showers during the past month have improved the soil moisture conditions for Rahn family farm in northern Illinois.