Providing Insight

Due to major flooding over the last week in Indiana and other areas of the Corn Belt, many fields have had most of last season’s crop residue removed. What impact will this have on the 2025 crop, [...]

In farming, longevity has many meanings – longevity of nutrient availability, longevity of soil balance, and longevity of the overall farm operation. The Maximum Farming System powered by [...]

Additions of lime and/or gypsum can improve most soils because these calcium products neutralize soil acidity (e.g., when soil pH tests below 6.2) and improve soil porosity and organic matter [...]

Tar spot is ever-expanding across the Corn Belt, and infestation reports are mostly coming in from fields planted to continuous corn and/or irrigated corn. While the risk of economic losses to [...]

As an essential component of photosynthesis, water helps drive plant growth. Plant roots typically grow downward and outward to access water and dissolved nutrients from the soil. But, soil water [...]

Each year the same issues appear across the country. Whether an issue is seen at emergence or while inspecting the success of a foliar program later in the season, many of these problems can be [...]

Cold germination tests are performed on all seed lots as a part of quality control, but these results are rarely publicly available. When they are provided, comparisons across companies lack [...]

Timing of nutrition for winter wheat can make or break a crop.   In this interview, Ag Spectrum Farm Manager Consultant Pat Tomlinson and Research & Teaching Agronomist Dr. Jim Smart discuss [...]

Even though nutrients are labeled as micronutrients, secondary nutrients, and macronutrients, they are all subcategories within the group of recognized essential elements for plant growth. [...]

Soil test values are important indicators of soil chemistry. When properly sampled, soil test values will naturally vary by up to 10% from the “true” value. When greater year to year variation is [...]