Uncategorized

November 8, 2021 09:30 AM Many farmers rent bee hives to pollinate crops, but they could tap into the free labor of wild bees by adopting an as-needed approach to pesticides, a new proof-of-concept study shows. A multiyear study of commercial-scale fields in the Midwest found this approach led to a 95% reduction in pesticide applications, while maintaining or increasing crop yield for corn and watermelon. The findings are detailed in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of…

10-7-2021 11:30 AM The right time, placement and rate of nitrogen applications are important, and Rice is also digging deeper to learn how to manage the introduction of nitrogen into the soil in order to reduce losses. “What we found is that by using nitrogen inhibitors, and putting it on when the corn really needs it, which is about a foot high or V6 state, then we get a 50% reduction in nitrogen losses,” Rice says. read more

09-14-2021 04:00 PM Read the report here

08/27/2020 03:00 PM South Dakota State University finds cover cropping can increase profits for producers even in the first few years. The longer farmers use cover crops, the more likely they are to see the benefits and to use the conservation practice on a higher percentage of their farmland, according to a survey of eastern South Dakota producers. Read more

08/27/2021 1:30 PM Planting cover crops during the winter fellow period has potential for on-farm and off-site benefits. The preliminary data presented here demonstrates the ability of cover crops to recapture nitrogen as it moves through the soil profile during the fallow winter period, thus reducing the negative environmental impacts of excess nitrogen fertilizer use on drinking water quality in the municipal wells. Read more…

08/11/2021 12:30 PM New research suggests that farmers who over-fertilize grassland crops like corn and wheat could face significant problems in dry conditions. Read more…