Wet weather preceding warm temperatures and dry days creates the perfect environment for farmers hoping to capitalize on an early corn crop. In southeast Kansas, soil conditions are on the verge of excellence and many fields have already played host to planters.

In the coming weeks Blaise Wilde will continue to inspect his fields for damage from mid-February’s arctic assault on Texas, but for now the wheat grower from Wall is feeling optimistic.

After a year without in-person events, Green Cover Seed held their first Southeast Kansas Soil Health Conference at their new Iola location on March 5 and 6. Soil health specialist Doug Peterson provided attendees with information on how to improve their fields through his presentation on on…

The New Year brings new challenges for farmers across the United States. And while experts predict high commodity prices and less dependence on government payments to bolster farm income, there are still obstacles ahead.

Volatility was the defining characteristic of commodity markets in 2020 and experts are preparing for another unpredictable barrage of global agricultural market changes.

As soybean farmers set their sights on skyrocketing market prices, it’s important to keep one eye on the budget. Before going all-in on cropping bells and whistles, keep overall crop goals and just as importantly, the budget, in mind.

Subsurface drainage systems are no longer a technology reserved for the vague fields “up north” or a write-off in good growing years or bragging rights for “fancy” farmers.

Two-time national wheat yield contest winner C.R. Freeman, owner of Premium Beef and Grain of Hobart, swings for the fences without compromising on grain quality.

No year is “normal” in farming — and especially not 2020. Farmers in the Four States spent half of the year praying for the rain to stop and the other half praying for it to start up again.

In the ever changing landscape of food production and renewed emphasis on sustainability, Upfield, the company behind Country Crock, has partnered with No-Till on the Plains to provide cover crop cost share opportunities for farmers in eastern Kansas and the western edge of Missouri.

Farmers from across Southeast Kansas gathered in Humbolt last week for food and fellowship at the Geffert family farm as part of Kansas Corn’s annual statewide listening tours.

Wheat harvest continues to progress across the state of Kansas.

There is still time left to get a good yield with late planted or double-cropped soybeans. First, it rained too much, and now for much of the Four State area, the rains have completely stopped. This is hard on soybeans as they don’t do well growing though crusted soil but also they don’t ger…

Wheat farmer board members of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and Kansas Wheat Commission held board meetings last week via conference call. They discussed current crop conditions throughout the state.

As rain pushes corn planting season back yet again, farmers may be better off sticking with poor stands than replanting, said University of Missouri Extension agronomist Bill Wiebold.

The planting season begins another year under considerable uncertainty. While trade issues remain, the continued spread of the coronavirus and the ensuing market collapse complicates an already difficult decision. Projections from many market observers indicate increases in corn and soybean …

The sharp price drops across equity and commodity markets over recent trading sessions indicate investors foresee a drop off in economic activity over the near term. Only the duration and severity of the economic contraction remain uncertain. A severe contraction extending into the summer do…

Test for soybean cyst nematode in the spring before planting, says University of Missouri Extension plant pathologist Kaitlyn Bissonnette.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s soybean ending stocks forecast of 425 million bushels for the marketing year may show little, if any change, in the upcoming World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report. Despite the recent strength in soybean crush, the current focus is squarely…

On March 2, the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture Grain Crushing report provides an estimate of corn used for ethanol production in January. In the February World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimate report, the USDA raised corn used for ethanol production by 50 million bushels, to 5.…

Old crop corn basis and futures spreads continue to signal a smaller crop scenario than the price levels in the futures market suggest. Futures price levels reflect the uncertainty associated with the coronavirus and the potential weaker growth its continuation promises. Producer grain holdi…

Soybean prices put in a moderate rally last week. An outlook for a large South American soybean crop and uncertainty of the impact on economic growth associated with the evolving coronavirus situation hang over U.S. soybean demand scenarios moving forward.  Expanding soybean acreage in 2020 …

Uncertainties regarding the potential trade deal and coronavirus outbreak remain as negative forces for commodity markets. Corn prices came through the difficulty relatively well over the last couple of weeks. March corn futures prices continue to bounce around in a range between $3.75 and $…

With adaptations perfect for the wild, dry prairies of the West, hard red winter wheat has been a clear choice for the majority of Kansas and Oklahoma, but in the wet conditions that permeate southeast Kansas, soft wheat is a rising star.

Weather during the 2019 growing season brought a diverse series of challenges for farmers throughout the Four States. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first or the last time producers will power through difficult conditions.

Disease threats don’t just originate from a potential influenza or coronavirus outbreak — Missouri crop producers should be on watch for potentially devastating diseases in their corn and soybean fields.

From insects, pests and diseases, crop producers face a growing number of challenges. At the Barton County Soils and Crops Conference held earlier this month in Lamar, Missouri, a University of Missouri expert gave his advice on what to watch for in the coming growing season.

It’s never too early to prepare for disease prevention. During the Kansas Corn Management School in Parsons, Kansas State University plant pathologist Doug Jardine named his top diseases to watch in the New Year.

Growing industrial hemp may seem like a novel practice in agriculture but Missouri actually has a history as a leader in hemp production. That history, however, doesn’t mean there isn’t much to learn about the crop with its resurgence in the state.

What’s Thanksgiving without stuffing, Christmas without gingerbread, Fourth of July without hamburgers, or birthdays without cake? A world without wheat looks a lot different when the most iconic of our foods are made from it. As every Kansan knows, we are the bread basket of the U.S. and pr…

What were the most prevalent diseases affecting corn, soybeans and grain sorghum in Kansas during the 2019 growing season? This article recaps the most active diseases affecting summer row crops and discusses the growing conditions that played the biggest role in their development.

The 2019 crop year will live long in the memory. A record amount of prevent plant acres, delayed harvest, and considerable dismay over U.S. Department of Agriculture reports compounded the uncertainty associated with the trade war.  Speculation about the acreage levels in 2020 is already und…

Wheat is a resilient crop, thanks in part to the cutting edge genetics that modern varieties have, but even the hardiest of plants need a rain every now and then. At the Nov. 19 meeting of the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, board members from across the state reported on current crop c…

If there ever was a year where southeast Kansas farmers were dependent on and disappointed by the munificence of a merciless Mother Nature, it was 2019. There are few facets of farming producers can agree upon, but the challenges and opportunities of 2019 are recognizable by even the most ob…

The November supply and demand report didn’t provide the bullish spark that the bull camp needed. Corn yield was cut more than expected to 167 bushels per acre, but since harvested acreage was left alone, production, and then ending stocks, ended up higher than expected. The corn market stil…

Soils across most of Kansas are now cool enough to allow producers to apply anhydrous ammonia for their 2020 corn crop (Figure 1). This practice has some appeal to producers. For one thing, fall fertilizer application spreads out the workload so there’s more time to focus on corn planting in…

The grain markets didn’t feel particularly strong this week, but the corn, wheat and soybeans all closed higher for the week. There were several factors at work for the bull camp, such as solid demand for soybeans and wheat, and problematic weather in much of the US. Trade news has waffled b…

In the last hundred years, farming in southeast Kansas has evolved dramatically with new cultural, financial and ecological challenges for farmers to face each year. At its heart, however, farming stays true to the same values that defined the profession hundreds, even thousands, of years ag…

Corn, wheat and soybean futures started off the week with a bang and posted big gains Sunday night. Unfortunately for the corn and beans, the Sunday night rally marked the high water mark for the week. For the wheat market, on the other hand, we saw gains throughout the week. The Chicago whe…

Late maturing soybeans face damage from early killing frost and need special attention for harvest and storage, said University of Missouri Extension soybean specialist Bill Wiebold.

Most soybean and corn likely will yield less than normal this year due to late planting and unfavorable weather during critical grain-fill periods, said University of Missouri Extension soybean specialist Bill Wiebold.

It's September, so you know what that means: time to break out the drills and air seeders and plant some wheat. As you go out, coffee in hand, lunch (that will end up being more or less “brunch”) in your little cooler, you have quite a few factors to be concerned about in regards to soil con…

“Plant cool-season grasses in September,” said Craig Roberts, University of Missouri Extension forage agronomist. “The earlier the better.”

Farmers across the state have access to many of the most cutting-edge wheat varieties ever bred. These varieties are all created with performance in mind, so how can producers gain that coveted yield bump when the dozens of varieties at their fingertips are all, by-and-large, on a fairly lev…

Alfalfa, also known as the “Queen of Forages,” is an investment requiring the royal treatment to be successful, but it has the potential to repay by leaps and bounds.

Fighting weeds has been a battle between farmers and nature since the beginning of history, and the war has only intensified with the spread of herbicide-resistant weeds and invasive species.

After record-breaking spring rainfall, it is difficult to believe any living thing in the Four State area could need more water. For late or early planted summer crops, however, summer is a critical time to look for signs of stress.

USDA’s Crop Progress reports are based on visual observations from respondents across the country who frequently come in contact with farmers and ranchers growing a crop. These survey respondents visually and subjectively estimate the progress of the crop from planting through various stages…

Tall fescue, Missouri’s most used pasture grass, provides fall and winter grazing with proper management.