Friendly Competition 

By Larry Stalcup

They're gunning for Ben Moore in northwest Tennessee. No, he's not in any trouble. It's just a friendly game of MarketMaxx with his grower neighbors....

Group Risk Crop Insurance Premiums to Increase 

Compiled By Greg Lamp

Some observers are now questioning the advisability of using Group Risk Income Plan (GRIP) crop insurance policies in 2007, says Gary Schnitkey, a University...

Acquiring More Acres 

By Moe Russell

This winter while traveling throughout the Midwest and High Plains I asked producers: What is your biggest challenge? Often the response I got was the...

Soy Milestones 

Innovative, value-added new uses for soy have come a long way in the last two decades.

The year 2007 marks several significant accomplishments for new uses of soybeans – commemorating the anniversary of several products and celebrating the bright future for many more.

Through extensive research – much of it supported by soybean checkoff funding – over 40 different categories of soy-based products ranging from beauty lotions to plastics, adhesives and biodiesel are now available to consumers.

...

Evaluate SCN Resistance and Boost Yields 

Compiled By Susan Winsor

Almost 2 bu./acre were gained in the better SCN-resistant varieties tested by Iowa State University (ISU). ISU's Soybean Variety Trial program evaluated...

Transferring Risk 

By Moe Russell

In a previous issue I wrote about the importance of top growers aligning with input suppliers to reduce price risk and increase the likelihood of having...

NCC Planting Intentions Survey 

Compiled By Kate Royer

U.S. cotton producers intend to plant 13.2 million acres of cotton this spring, down almost 14% from 2006, according to the National Cotton Council's...

Way-Out Corn Marketing 

By Larry Stalcup

Mike Kamler doesn't need a crystal ball to sell corn he won't pick until 2009. He skipped the palm reader session and locked in a $3.40-plus price last...

Can't We Just Get Along? 

By Kate Royer

It's a common story, experts claim. A son or daughter returns to the family farm. Not large enough to support everyone, the parents take on new debt to...

D&PL B2RF Varieties in Good Supply 

Compiled By Kate Royer

High Plains cotton producers will have access to good seed supplies of Delta and Pine Land Company (D&PL) Bollgard II/Roundup Ready Flex cotton varieties...

Market To The Maxx 

By Larry Stalcup

Jim Spahr has solidified his grain marketing theory that taking too many chances in options trades may not be the best strategy to use in real-time...

Farm Bill 2007 

By Larry Stalcup

Like the Michael J. Fox character in the movie Back To The Future, many obstacles must be maneuvered to reach a bill favored by the House, Senate and...

Non-BT Cotton Varieties Offer Promise for Banned Area 

Compiled By Kate Royer

Monsanto recently called attention to a violation of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules when Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton was planted in 10 northern Texas Panhandle counties...

More Maize Malaise? 

By Liz Morrison

Expect more leaf diseases, stalk and ear rots, and rootworm in corn after corn fields...

LETTERS 

ANIMAL AG AND THE FARM BILL
First, when asked, I always say yours is the best farm publication I read. I could go on about why, but that's not the reason...

Battling Bugs Big In Cotton's First 40 Days 

By Larry Stalcup

New threats from spider mites add to the importance of early insect control if cotton is expected to make a good stand, then progress with vigor during...

Too Good To Be True? 

By Liz Morrison

You're strolling past the booths at a farm show when a new product grabs your attention. Maybe it's a soil additive with marvelous claims: enhanced growth,...

Stress Can Be A Real Bear 

By John Russnogle

The large, female black bear ambled into the clearing and into Tami Ely's gun sights right at dusk. At that moment, in the fall of 1997, there were no...

2007 Insect Outlook 

By Kate Royer

Aphids and rootworms and borers, oh my. Every year farmers and entomologists are on the lookout for pesky pests that can damage crops. Temperature, moisture...

PRODUCTS 

COMBINE AVAILABLE ON TRACKS The largest combine in North America, the Lexion 590R, is now available on tracks with the 2007 introduction of the Lexion...

Recycled Planters 

By Dave Howe

Dean Ellermeier has probably never met a piece of equipment that he didn't want to change to better suit his purposes. His welding skills ...

Building A Biodiesel Plant 

By Tyler Bruch

Editor's Note: Next in a series from Iowa farmer Tyler Bruch whose family farms 10,500 acres in Bahia, Brazil. Four years ago when I came to Brazil, ethanol and biodiesel plants were beginning to pop up quite randomly in the U.S...

Avoid These 10 Strip-Till Mistakes 

By John Pocock

Talk to anyone who has tried strip-tilling corn, and you'll find a lot can go wrong at first. Yet relatively few farmers quit the practice once they've...

Eye On Energy Highlights 

Greg Lamp

This year's Conservation Tillage Conference & Expo's theme, Eye on Energy, looked at trends in conservation practices and explored ways for farmers to...

Corn Prices Can Fall, Too 

By Alan Kluis

The ethanol craze and strong corn exports rallied corn futures up to new 10-year highs in early 2007. Ethanol fever may have peaked on Jan. 16, the night...