Current Issue

JOHN LOVETT FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS  Electricity and water don’t usually mix, but technological advancements in floating solar arrays open the potential to generate electricity while decreasing impacts on farm irrigation reservoirs and agricultural land. Michael Popp with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station is...

JORDAN STRICKLER LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY A University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment researcher is leading a new project that could help farmers fight some of agriculture’s hardest-to-control insect pests with a method designed to hit the target and leave...

MARY HIGHTOWER SEARCY, ARKANSAS  Some Arkansas ranchers are reaching into their reserve hay as drought intensifies across the state. The April 9 map from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows 99.96 percent of Arkansas has some form of drought. Areas with the highest intensity of drought – exceptional drought...

GIOVANI PREZA FONTES URBANA, ILLINOIS March was wetter than normal across much of Illinois, with statewide precipitation averaging 4.85 inches, 1.91 inches above normal. The wet trend continued into the first two weeks of April, particularly in northern Illinois, which has...

HEATHER MARIE KELLY JACKSON, TENNESSEE This week I’ve gotten calls asking about fungicide decisions in wheat – is an application needed or not? While the initial conversation is on Fusarium Head Blight (FHB/scab) and the forecasting models available for FHB, I...

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI EXTENSION COLUMBIA, MISSOURI  Although many farms are starting the planting season with bulk tanks full of sub-$3-per-gallon diesel purchased over the winter, the first refill this spring could cost $1.50-plus per gallon more than they paid for their...

 DENNIS B. EGLI LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY It’s that time of the year – producers are done tinkering with their planters and are ready to hit the field, hoping to get that perfect ‘picket fence’ stand where every plant is equally spaced and...

NATHAN GREGORY STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI Mississippi farmers are planning fewer acres of most major row crops in 2026, reflecting continued pressure from falling commodity prices and rising production costs, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA’s Prospective Plantings...

LARRY STECKEL AND HAYDEN LOVE JACKSON, TENNESSEE There was a significant emergence of ryegrass during the middle of March in many fields (Picture 1).  This coupled with all the early planting has led to fields infested with ryegrass along with emerged...

“We need all different kinds of minds.” JENNIE ABBOTT URBANA, ILLINOIS Temple Grandin’s neurodivergence is one of her biggest strengths. As a consultant and professor of animal sciences, she has led groundbreaking work in animal behavior and livestock handling, breaking barriers for...

BONNIE COBLENTZ STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI  While profit in farming often comes down to what the weather and markets did that year, the decisions farmers make from the beginning impact the bottom line in many important ways. Growers use the winter months after harvest...

TODD GLEASON URBANA, ILLINOIS Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed an innovative artificial intelligence method designed to mine massive amounts of drone-captured field data, revealing hidden, highly heritable genetic traits in crops. For decades, agriculture has relied on visual cues...

CHARLEY MARTINEZ KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE We got a lot of information this week, below covers the highlights from the planting and grain crushing report. In the prospective plantings report, Tennessee farmers intend to plant approximately 17.1 million acres of crops in 2026, a...

KEVIN BRADLEY COLUMBIA, MISSOURI Star-of-Bethlehem is an ornamental plant that has escaped cultivation to become a weed that occurs primarily in minimum- or no-till fields (Figure 1), pastures, and lawns. This plant is a perennial from a bulb (Figure 2) that grows throughout...

IVAIR VALMORBIDA COLUMBIA, MISSOURI Black cutworm moth captures have started to show up across parts of Missouri, which is a sign that spring has officially arrived – not just for us, but for some of our early-season insect pests as well....