All Posts from May 2021

The past 14 months have been extremely tough on all of us. What started as “Two Weeks to Flatten the Curve,” stretched into over a year of unprecedented government lockdowns and restrictions. Thankfully, we have watched the marvels of modern science develop, implement, and roll out a vaccine faster than ever before. Here in mid-May, we are seeing much of the United States open back up or at least being scheduled to open with restrictions...

Many have heard that pH affects nutrient availability in their soil or uptake by the plant. We try to have pH around 6.0 to 6.5 so as many nutrients as possible are in their maximum level of availability (see Figure 1). We’ve learned that managing pH can increase uptake and set the plant up for maximum yield potential. It’s possible to manage pH, but we can’t manage temperatures, so what do various temperatures do to this nutrient...

Submitted by Illinois Farm Bureau

Managing nutrients on farms can be accomplished in different ways, depending on what farmers each have to work with in their fields. Farmers can certainly learn from each other, too, what works and what doesn’t. Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) has a program that helps with that exchange.

IFB’s Nutrient Stewardship Grant Program this year features 21 projects across 28 counties, and county...

This article was originally published on...

A final soybean population stand of 90,000-110,000 planted early can still support optimum yield potential. However, if soybean population stand counts are between 50,000-70,000, you may need to consider beefing up the stand. When soybean populations become too low, it often leads to a weak and delayed canopy and will become harder for managing weeds. Another consideration is that at lower populations, some soybean varieties may “flex” their...

Since the beginning of agriculture, the battle between weeds and farmers has been constant as weeds continue to adapt to management practices in order to survive. The struggle continues today with waterhemp and Palmer amaranth, two pigweed species that have become especially problematic for Illinois soybean farmers due to their inherently competitive characteristics and evolved resistance to several classes of herbicides. To curb this threat...

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