February 4, 09:00 AM After cash crops are harvested, many farmers plant cover crops to reduce erosion and help the soil retain nutrients, among other benefits. While cover crops ultimately improve the yields of cash crops through improved soil health, new research suggests that they might also protect them from disease. Read more…
February 02, 12:00 PM Illinois aimed to reduce nitrates and nitrogen by 15% and phosphorus by 25% by 2025, but the latest update showed that nutrient loss increased by 13% and phosphorus losses increased by 35%, compared with a baseline period from 1980 to 1996, according to the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy Implementation Biennial Report. Read more
January 20, 4:00 PM Check out this video showing how Jeff Gaska, from Columbus, WI. adapted his Dalton sidedress rig to interseed cover crops between corn rows to extend livestock grazing opportunities and boost soil health. Watch here
January 17, 2022, 08:00 AM Scientists have found that around 35 percent of the region has lost its most fertile A-horizon soil, more commonly known as topsoil, since European colonization in the 1600s, resulting in estimated annual economic losses of around $2.8 billion and a 6 percent reduction in crop yields per year. Read more…
January 14, 2022 08:00 AM At the end of December, phosphorus (diammonium phosphate — DAP, and monoammonium phosphate —MAP), potassium (potash) and urea prices were near or above $800 per ton, with urea and monoammonium phosphate topping $900, according to the Illinois Production Cost Report by USDA’s Agricultural Market Research. Those prices are well off the $350 to $500 range for all three products during this same time in 2020, making it the highest level for the year. Read more…
January 12, 2022 03:00 PM Texas A&M economists found heading into spring planting, fertilizer prices are up 80% compared to 2021, and in some cases, farmers are seeing certain fertilizer prices more than double what they saw last year. But for the report, AFPC was conservative in its estimate, using a 50% increase in fertilizer costs. Read more…