Providing Insight

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 [...]

Managing residue cover is critical to maintaining soil biology over winter and preparing the soil for timely planting next spring. Farmers have a significant impact on how quickly residues [...]