March 1, 2008
Features
Don't Call Me Son
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By John Russnogle
If you don't know them, it's easy to think that Les and Evan are father and son. They farm together, and nearly 30 years separate their birthdays. So,... More
Nitrate Neutralizer
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Liz Morrison
As a county ditch inspector, Eric Schrader has worked hard to promote conservation drainage measures, such as grass buffer strips. Now, the Rice County,... More
Warrior Wasps
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Liz Morrison
George Heimpel is a little like a general who sent his troops out to attack the enemy and is now awaiting news from the front. The University of Minnesota... More
Rule Your Risks
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Susan Winsor
Hold onto your hat. As price charts gyrate and input prices soar, we asked a panel of veteran north-Iowa growers how they manage their risks in this environment.... More
Weather Worries, Weather Woes
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Burt Rutherford
So just how wacky will weather be this year? Art Douglas, a Creighton University weather expert, prognosticates a weather pattern similar to the 1940s... More
Take A Second Look at NO-TILL
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Edward Clark
There's no room on Mike Clemens' farm for recreational tillage. With his no-till system the benefits are three-fold, says the Wimbledon,ND, grower of... More
Corn Killers
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Jen Bennett
Wouldn't it be great if there were no such things as gray leaf spot or rootworms? If all you had to do was plant your crop, hope for good weather and... More
Fertilizer in Conservation Tillage
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By George Rehm
Concerned about rising prices for fuel and fertilizer, crop producers are searching for ways to trim input costs. Many producers are thinking about a... More
Try Multi-Year Marketing
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Larry Stalcup
We have corn sold for the next three years. Mike Martin doesn't blink an eye when he yields that information about his operation's distant marketing moves... More
Watch Input Costs
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Larry Stalcup
Machinery and other input costs determine profits more than prices, say Kansas growers Terry Kastens, his son Dietrich and brother Gary. Terry's part-time... More
My View
Cars Run on Algae, Too
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Greg Lamp Editor glamp@csdigest.com
Imagine, rockets and airplanes using biodiesel. It's not as far-fetched as you might think. Just listen to a bunch of biodiesel geeks and, literally,... More
News
Farm Equipment Exports Jump 13%
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
U.S. exports of ag-related machinery totaled more than $8.2 billion in 2007, an increase of more than 13% compared to the previous year, according to... More
Check Out CSD Live
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
A new feature has been added to www.cornandsoybeandigest.com. If you have high-speed access, check it out. It's called CSD Live and houses videos from... More
USDA Projects Higher Exports
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
Ag Secretary Ed Schafer announces that U.S. ag exports are forecast to reach a record $101 billion for fiscal year 2008, an unprecedented $19 billion... More
Biotech Arces Booming Worldwide
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
Biotech crops are still gaining ground with another year of double-digit growth and new countries joining the list of supporters, according to a report... More
Brazil Okays Biotech Corn
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
Monsanto and Bayer CropScience have gotten the green light to begin producing and selling biotech corn in Brazil, according to the National Biosafety... More
GM Wants Half Its Cars on E85
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
The president of General Motors North America, Troy Clarke, says the company plans to have half its cars in the U.S. capable of running on 85% ethanol... More
Why Such High Export Numbers?
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
The bustling export business is due largely to the exchange rate, according to Purdue Economist Chris Hurt. The European euro has increased in value relative... More
Pay Attention To Basics
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
Even though commodity prices are higher, variety selection, fertility, pest management, irrigation, timely planting and harvesting are still the critical... More
Tips To Save Production Costs
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
Ohio State Ag Engineer Randall Reeder offers commonsense suggestions for cutting costs and raising profits: Fuel costs for planting crops in reduced tillage... More
Biofuels Need Subsides
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
If biofuels are to be successful, subsidies must exist, says an Iowa State study exploring their future. Ag economists calculated that to meet federal... More
Don't Blame Ethanol
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
Food prices have not been forced up by ethanol, say University of Nebraska economists, because grain prices are a function of the world market, and farmgate... More
Brazil
Biotech Corn in Brazil
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | BY JAMES THOMPSON
While Brazil may be the world's least-cost bean producer, that doesn't hold true with corn. This is why the Brazilian government's recent approval of... More
Products
Products
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
PLANTER MONITORING ADDITION Ag Leader Technology has added a planter-monitoring function to SeedCommand, its planter control system. With the addition,... More
Front Mount is the Way to Go
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Greg Lamp
Jerald Ryerson got tired of renting a sidedressing machine from the local co-op. As the Ames, IA, no-till grower put it: Two years of rental fees would... More
Built For Speed
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Greg Lamp
When it comes to sidedressing fertilizer, it's all about speed for Jerry Zubke, Milbank, SD. That's what led him to build a 30-in., 24-row sidedress applicator... More
Profits
Lessons Learned From the Subprime Credit Crunch
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Dave Kohl
Agriculture and the overall perception of the industry appear hotter than a pepper sprout right now. Well, if one observed the stock market and the real... More
A Letter to Me
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Moe Russell
Brad Paisley's country song, A Letter to Me, hit No. 1 recently on the country charts. It made me think of a recent letter from one of our associates,... More
Wheat Explodes!
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Ed Usset
Corn and soybean futures are trading at remarkable prices, but I want to talk about wheat. I think the current wheat market particularly hard red spring... More
Farmland Prices March Higher
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Richard Brock
This chart on farmland pricing speaks for itself. The cause of this sharp increase is well known to everyone and focuses on three sources: Chinese demand,... More
Extras
Necessary Inoculation
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Larry Stalcup
Many southern growers have switched from cotton to soybeans, and their whopping price. So spending an extra couple of dollars per acre to help assure... More
Production Costs Jump
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
Fifteen percent more for corn and 10% more for beans are the estimated increases in production costs for 2008 crops compared to last year, say University... More
26 New Soy Products
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
In 2007, 26 new soy-based products were commercialized in part due to initial funding from the soybean checkoff. Among the new products are soy foam innovations... More
Beans Bundle Up
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Larry Stalcup
It's late August and southern beans are ready for harvest. But a steady rain hits when combines are ready to roll. It's a week or more deluge and beans... More
How to Interpret Yield Trial Results
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Jim Rouse
Selecting the appropriate mix of corn hybrids or soybean varieties is essential for maximizing yield potential. It follows, then, that having a sound... More
Controlling Costs
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Karen Ott Mayer
The tougher the market, the tougher producers need to be when considering costs and their overall operation plan. For Willard Jack of Belzoni, MS, who... More
How Early is too Early?
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Doreen Muzzi
As is the case with any business, a grower's first priority is to make a profit and stay in business. How much profit depends on the difference between... More
More Than a Weed
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM | By Liz Morrison
Those volunteer corn plants standing in your soybean fields are more than a weed problem. They could be a recipe for rootworm resistance, Minnesota and... More
Letters
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
BIOFUELS MISINFORMATION I have many friends who do not understand the biofuels issue. The information they get comes from the news media and talk radio... More
Corn Weed Control Guide Error
Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM
In the Corn Weed Control Guide, February Corn & Soybean Digest, six herbicides were missing in the section when it continued from page 2a to 4a. They... More
