ILSoyAdvisor Blog

In case you missed the headlines in the national papers, the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxic Zone was the largest in recorded history this summer. Yes, that’s the bad news.

The good news is, despite high flows and large nitrate-nitrogen (nitrate-N) loads in the Illinois River in April and May, the 2017 yearly nitrate-N loading in the river was about 5% lower than the 1980-96 baseline average load.

The 1980-96 baseline is important...

When we deliver grain, the elevator runs moisture and test weights. For corn and wheat, these measurements can impact price and lead to price dockage, because low-test weight cereal grains will not store well and will be more prone to mold. Test weight is often used when seeding small grains where rates are bushels per acre, but you are buying pounds of seed and need a seed rate in pounds per acre.

We know that test weight is one...

An attorney from Virginia called recently to discuss whether soybeans can or can’t grow in hydric soils. He is representing a client in Virginia who has been successfully growing soybeans on hydric soils in a field which the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently decided was a wetland and can’t be farmed. However, according to the attorney, the soybeans yields coming off this parcel are about equal to yields on the rest of the...

The Illinois Statewide Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (NLRS) is designed to improve Illinois water quality and the quality of water leaving the state. We strongly support the use of voluntary, incentive-based programs focused on the implementation of best management practices (BMPs) to address nutrient losses from Illinois farm fields.

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