The University of Illinois Extension “the farmgate newsletter” stated that thousands of farmers whom have tired of producing a commodity for minimal return and ventured into specialty crop production have found a niche market to fill.  (Click here to read the details)

Many expects had projected this to be an off year for soybean aphids.  The aphids have been doing surprisingly well during August.  There are a couple of reasons to stay on alert for soybean aphids.  One is the later planting dates for many soybeans.  The other is the cooler than normal weather.  (Click here to read more.)

 The Biotech Yield Endorsement (BYE) is the first ever innovative crop insurance product that lowers premiums.  The BYE also acknowledges the reduced risk and increased yield benefits growers receive when planting the majority of the acres to Monsanto’s YieldGard Triple Stack technologies, now including YieldGard VT Triple Pro.  The Biotech Yield Endorsement (BYE) has been expanded to include 11 total corn producing states across the Midwest.  (Click here to read more)

Bruce Anderson, Extension Forage Specialist, University of Nebraska Lincoln, believes that high-quality silage often is an economical substitute for some of the grain in finishing and dairy rations.  However, all too often, silage isnt harvested to get its best feed value.  Harvest timing can make all the difference.  (Click here to read more)

In some circles, Ethanol has been blamed for the discomfort that consumers are feeling when they go to the pump and when they visit their local grocery store.  However, there are groups that are beginning to bring out information to counter these groups.  This posting deals with the Grocery Manufacturers of America who ran a  public campaign to blame ethanol for high food prices.  (Click here to read more)

“the farmgate” newsletter produced by the University of Illinois Extension provides an analysis of the commodity markets, August Weather Analysis and a disease update.  (Click here to read more)

Crop maturity was reported by the University of Illinois extension “the farmgate” newsletter being well behind averages by 15% to 20% for corn and soybean crops.  Lack of rain in many areas of the corn belt have many farmers becoming increasingly concerned their crops may not be able to beat Mother Nature to the finish line.  (Click here to read more)

Approximately $150 million gallons of fuel are wasted each year due to poor tractor performance.  At $4 a gallon that is $600 million that could remain in Agriculture’s pocket.  Mike Staton and Tim Harrington of Michigan State University and Tim Reed of Canada’s Agriculture Technology Center created a fact sheet that will provide tips about achieving optimum tractor performance.  (Click here to read more)

In the August 18th Weekly Outlook there were mixed market signals for corn and soybean prices.  Price volatility has been the name of the game since the USDA’s August Crop Production report.  Weekly Outlook is a joint publication effort written by Purdue University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  (Click here to read more)

Climate change has stirred considerable debate, so a group of formidable economists and natural science researchers from Purdue University gathered to analyze the potential change on Indiana agriculture.  These findings can easily be extrapolated to make them applicable to the entire Cornbelt.  (Click here to read more)