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Updates from the Field


Update from the Field: Ready, Set, …

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on May 5, 2022

As soil temperatures stretch above 50°F, growers are itching to begin planting. Unfortunately, recent rain events and saturated soils [...]

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Update from the Field: The Early Bird Gets the Worm

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on April 21, 2022

It is difficult to estimate the best date to begin planting, and this year is no exception. In most years, [...]

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Update from the Field: Prepare for Lodging

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on April 7, 2022

Corn lodging, by definition, “is the breakage of the stalk below the ear, leading to increased harvest losses, increased [...]

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Update from the Field: Perfect Placement Proficiency

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on March 2, 2022

As fertilizer prices keep creeping up this spring, the question arises, how can we be more efficient with our inputs [...]

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Update from the Field: Hauling the Milk

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on February 17, 2022

As I was growing up on my family’s dairy farm, the comfort or stress level of our cattle [...]

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Update from the Field: Relay Race for High Yields

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on February 4, 2022

This week is the start of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. I’m not a big winter [...]

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Update from the Field: Up Date, Up Grade, Up Yields

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on January 20, 2022

I know it is still January, but it is never too early to talk about the most important pass through [...]

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Update from the Field: Starters, Reloaded

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on January 7, 2022

My boys and I are big movie buffs. Over Christmas break we saw the new Matrix movie, “The Matrix [...]

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Update from the Field: Sticker Shock

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on December 9, 2021

As dry fertilizer prices continue to skyrocket, some growers are experiencing sticker shock and asking if they can afford to [...]

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Update from the Field: Keep Calm and Test On

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on November 23, 2021

Soil sampling can be a long and laborious process, but it is necessary to keep calm and perform soil tests [...]

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Update from the Field: Factors for Fall Fertilizer

Posted on October 28, 2021

Proper crop fertility management is important for healthy soils and increasing profitability. Growers remove significant yields, but sometimes put few [...]

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Update from the Field: Featherweight Corn

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on October 12, 2021

Whether you are fighting in a UFC bout or squaring off in a high school wrestling tournament, individual contenders are [...]

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Update from the Field: Do Your Ears Hang Low?

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on September 29, 2021

If you have been around small children, you likely have heard the [...]

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Update from the Field: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on September 15, 2021

The phrase “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” can be traced back to the mid 1970’s. Gaylord Nelson, then a [...]

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Update from the Field: Strange Soybean Symptoms

Posted By Dave Dyson, Agronomist on September 2, 2021

As an agronomist for The Andersons, I travel a wide swath throughout the Corn Belt. Lately, I have been noticing [...]

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Update from the Field: Never Give Up, Never Surrender

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on August 19, 2021

My two favorite movie genres are comedy and science fiction. If you can make a great story that combines these [...]

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Update from the Field: Sulfur Deficiency, Why and How?

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on July 19, 2021

Sulfur deficiency is a common problem this growing season. When scouting fields, the lower leaves of the corn plant [...]

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Update from the Field: A Burning Question

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on July 7, 2021

The season for nitrogen sidedress on corn has begun. If field conditions are less than ideal [...]

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Update from the Field: Freedom of the Stress

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on June 10, 2021

To increase yield, it is essential to be aware of stress. During certain growth periods of the crop’s [...]

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Update from the Field: Make Bread Out of Air

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on May 27, 2021

At the turn of the twentieth century, Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch created a way of extracting nitrogen from the [...]

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Update from the Field: Back in My Day

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on February 18, 2021

The saying “Back in my day” has always been toxic to my three [...]

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Update from the Field: Mighty Micronutrients

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on January 20, 2021

There are seven essential micronutrients required for crop growth and needed in [...]

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Update from the Field: Secondary but Necessary

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on December 10, 2020

Sulfur is considered a secondary nutrient, along with calcium and magnesium. All three are considered  [...]

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Update from the Field: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on December 4, 2020

Crop disease has more in common with nutrient deficiency than with insect or weed pressure. When insect or weed pressure [...]

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Update from the Field: Double Down for Better Yields

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on November 20, 2020

Back in my childhood I remember the Wrigley's commercials on TV, playing off the idea [...]

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Update from the Field: Mineralization, Your Friend and Mine

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on November 12, 2020

Stalk residue can be a major source of problems for growers during the spring planting  [...]

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Update from the Field: Humic is Huge

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on November 5, 2020

What is humic acid, and what does it do in the soil to help produce crops? [...]

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Update from the Field: Gypsum, White Gold

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on October 15, 2020

One of the main drivers of nutrient availability is soil pH. As demonstrated in  [...]

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Updated from the Field: Who Ordered La Niña for Taco Tuesday?

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on September 24, 2020

While drinking coffee at the local watering hole these past few weeks, I have been hearing a lot of grumbling [...]

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Update from the Field: Time for Me to Fly

Posted on September 15, 2020

As soybean harvest begins in areas across the Corn Belt and wheat prices start to rebound, [...]

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Agronomy Alert: Soybean Aphids Spotted!

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on August 7, 2020

Soybean aphids were spotted in a field just east of Waterloo, IN, at the end of July. It was [...]

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Update From The Field: Weeds, Insects, and Diseases, Oh My!

Posted on August 6, 2020

Just as in the “Wizard of Oz”, our three heroic adventurers thought they were “out of the [...]

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Update from the Field: Unprotected Roots

Posted on July 10, 2020

As I travel around the Midwest this cropping season, I’m seeing more conventional corn acres planted. This can [...]

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Update from the Field: Weedemic

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on June 26, 2020

Weed resistance is becoming a nationwide epidemic, a weedemic. Traditional weed control is no longer effective in controlling many weeds. [...]

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Accelerating herbicide recovery with Phosfix

Posted on June 22, 2020

Phosfix is a powerful combination of macro and micronutrients with growth and plant enhancers that improve yield and profit [...]

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Update from the Field: Don’t Guess, PSNT

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on June 9, 2020

As the torrential rains dissipate and the ground starts to slowly dry out, it is time to think about sidedressing [...]

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Update from the Field: Not a Good Time to Lose One’s Head

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on June 4, 2020

The recent wet weather in certain regions has played havoc on corn and soybean seedlings, and the lingering moisture is [...]

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Update from the Field: Jack Frost Nipping at Your Nose

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on May 26, 2020

Last week’s low temperatures not only produced a frost, but a hard freeze. A hard freeze is defined [...]

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Update from the Field: Agronomists Can Dig It

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on May 15, 2020

With planting season in full swing, it is essential to make sure seedbeds are prepared correctly. Uniform no-till stands of [...]

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Update from the Field: Relying on Hope is Not a Profitable Plan

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on May 1, 2020

Creating a plan for in-season foliar applications is essential for crop success, as simply relying on hope is not a [...]

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Update from the Field: 4R for Real

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on April 16, 2020

Excessive amounts of nutrients in watersheds have been causing problems in large bodies of water such as lakes and oceans. [...]

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Update from the Field: What’s Sulfur Got to Do With It?

Posted on April 10, 2020

Just as Tina Turner posed a great question about love in her 1984 song “What’s Love Got to [...]

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Update from the Field: Popular Corn Population

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on April 3, 2020

As the weather warms up and soils dry out, growers are getting their planters out and deciding population goals to [...]

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Update from the Field: Maximize Yields, Reduce Compaction

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on March 12, 2020

As the days get longer and spring approaches, the itch to get out in the field becomes more overpowering. According [...]

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Update from the Field: Boost Yields with a Kicker

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on February 27, 2020

“Kicker” or “add on” are terms often used to describe a supplemental product added to a [...]

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Update from the Field: Precise Products for Precision Placement

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on February 19, 2020

The jury is in and the judgment is final, starter works! Liquid starter fertilizer has proven to be effective not [...]

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Update from the Field: Accelerate Yields with Acetate

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on February 1, 2020

There has been a lot of talk lately around acetate fertilizers and the benefits that come with placing an acetate [...]

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Update from the Field: What’s the Dope on Hemp?

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on January 14, 2020

Before considering growing techniques for hemp, it is essential to understand the definitions of a few key words and the [...]

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Update from the Field: Don’t Overlook the Power of Zinc

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on December 13, 2019

Farming is variable. Some years are great, and you can throw everything but the kitchen sink at your crop; other years, not as much. When crop prices are less than ideal, nutritional “add-ons” and stimulant-type products are typically the first to get cut. However, when micronutrients are overlooked [...]

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Video: Weekly Crop Update December 5, 2019

Posted on December 5, 2019

2019 has been a roller coaster of a year and it continues through harvest. As we all push to wrap [...]

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Update from the Field: Satisfaction

Posted on November 22, 2019

When it comes to applying sulfur or sulfates, the Rolling Stones said it best, “I can't get [...]

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Update from the Field: Keep it Cool

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on November 5, 2019

Fall application of nitrogen has quite a few advantages over a spring application, if done properly. The time savings can [...]

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Update from the Field: Get the Dirt on Your Soil

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on October 31, 2019

Following the season, it is important to sample your soils to best understand your pH and nutrient levels. In our [...]

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Update from the Field: Remember to Enjoy the Little Things

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on October 15, 2019

As harvest progresses across the Corn Belt, we are pleasantly surprised to have some yields better than we were expecting. [...]

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Update from the Field: Variable Yields, Variable Rates

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on October 10, 2019

This cropping year has been anything but normal, so why should we expect the situation to change this fall? Depending [...]

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Update from the Field: Best Practices for Winter Wheat

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on October 2, 2019

Harvest has finally come to the Corn Belt! Five months ago, some people predicted our crop would not mature before [...]

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Update from the Field: Get Out and Scout!

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on September 26, 2019

Disease has been coming into the corn crop early and strong this year due to the unusually late planting conditions [...]

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Update from the Field: The Enemy Below

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on September 18, 2019

Similar to the storyline in the 1957 Robert Mitchum movie “The Enemy Below,” the soybean producer is in a [...]

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Update from the Field: If We Make It Through December…

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on September 4, 2019

As Labor Day slips past and football season comes into full view, it is time to start looking forward to [...]

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Update from the Field: Count on Corn

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on August 28, 2019

Several times this past week, I have been asked two big questions: “How is the corn crop progressing?” [...]

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Update from the Field: CBD A-OK

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on August 23, 2019

The agriculture industry is abuzz about hemp and the opportunities a new crop can provide to markets and crop [...]

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Update from the Field: Burn, Baby, Burn!

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on August 16, 2019

This year’s weed situation has been the worst in my recent memory. I have been called out to [...]

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Update from the Field: Fungus Among Us

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on August 8, 2019

This year’s late planting and extreme weather has growers contemplating what inputs to invest in versus cut. Early [...]

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Update from the Field: Starter Fertilizer: Not a Dud

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on July 25, 2019

Hopefully everyone had a happy Fourth of July celebration and no injuries were incurred. I’m an avid fireworks [...]

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Update from the Field: Highway to Hail

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on July 9, 2019

This past week we have seen the weather, insects, and vertebrate pests play havoc on our struggling corn crops. Parts [...]

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Update from the Field: A Tissue for an Issue

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on July 2, 2019

When my kids start complaining about their teenage angst, the saying around my house is: “Do you need a [...]

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Update from the Field: Have We Lost Our Minds or Just Our Nitrogen?

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on June 25, 2019

As the title suggests, the constant rainy weather the Corn Belt has been experiencing may cause us to lose our [...]

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Update from the Field: Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on June 13, 2019

Corn planters rolled last week on what dry ground could be found, to beat the prevent plant date. Now that [...]

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Update from the Field: Don’t Delay, Plant Today

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on June 6, 2019

It’s now June and few acres of the Corn Belt have corn seed in the ground, let alone [...]

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Update From The Field: Stay Ahead of Wheat Diseases

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on May 28, 2019

The wet weather of late is not only playing havoc on planting crops this year, but also fueling fungal spores [...]

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Update From The Field: Three Objectives for Using Starter Fertilizer

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on May 22, 2019

As the rain continues and planting dates keep moving back, a very important question on the table is, “Should [...]

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Update from the Field: Three Keys to Successful Planting

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on May 8, 2019

Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? While rain is undoubtedly a good thing, this spring [...]

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Update from the Field: Feel The Burn

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on May 3, 2019

As I drive across the Midwest, I can’t help but notice the number of acres that have not [...]

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Update from the Field: Popular Population

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on April 23, 2019

As the ground warms in mid-April everyone is preparing their planters for the upcoming compressed spring planting season and wondering, [...]

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Update from the Field: Spray Your Wheat, Kill Your Weeds

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on April 18, 2019

As the soil temperatures start to rise, the wheat crop is coming out of dormancy and will start reaching for [...]

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Update from the Field: Time in a Bottle

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on April 4, 2019

As my favorite folk singer, Jim Croce, once mused, “If I could save time in a bottle, if words [...]

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Update from the Field: Squeeze the Charmin, Not Your Soil

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on March 28, 2019

The excessive soil moisture last fall, the above average snowfall this winter, and the forecasted significant spring precipitation could present [...]

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Update from the Field: Soil Health, Can You Dig It?

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on March 19, 2019

As the days get longer and spring approaches, the itch to get out in the field becomes more overpowering. The [...]

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Update from the Field: If You Can’t Stand the Wheat, Get Out of the Kitchen

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on March 13, 2019

When planting wheat in the fall, you should be shooting for a population of 1.7 million seeds per acre. If [...]

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Update from the Field: Beware the Ides of March

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on March 5, 2019

February is in the rearview mirror and with the ides of March nearly upon us, agronomic thoughts need to be [...]

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Update from the Field: Here’s to Your Soil Health

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on March 5, 2019

Let’s talk about soil, not to be confused with dirt. Dirt is a four-letter word and will make [...]

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Update from the Field: Small Quantities, Giant Rewards Part 4

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on February 26, 2019

The last article in my four-part micronutrient series will focus squarely on the micronutrient zinc (Zn). The grand-daddy of all [...]

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Update from the Field: Small Quantities, Giant Rewards Part 3

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on February 18, 2019

The third article in my four-part micronutrient series will focus on the micronutrient manganese (Mn). Great things come in small [...]

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Update from the Field: Small Quantities, Giant Rewards Part 2

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on February 12, 2019

This is the second article in a four part series outlining the reasons why micronutrients may be used in small [...]

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Update from the Field: Small Quantities, Giant Rewards Part 1

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on February 4, 2019

This will be the first article in a four-part series about micronutrients, presenting four different micronutrients and how they affect [...]

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Update from the Field: One is the Loneliest Number…

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on January 29, 2019

With good weather, wheat topdress is only four to six weeks away. While it’s common to use UAN, [...]

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Update from the Field: Where Have All the Sulfates Gone?

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on January 22, 2019

When Peter, Paul, and Mary sing “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”, I think of all the sulfate [...]

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Update from the Field: Back in Black

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on January 15, 2019

This past week, I attended the National No-Till Conference in Indianapolis where The Andersons was a Title Sponsor of the [...]

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Update from the Field: Start Right, Start Strong

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on December 18, 2018

While visiting several Farm Center locations this last week, I overheard numerous conversations about the poor quality of soybean seed [...]

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Update from the Field: Tip Toe Through the Tulips

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on December 10, 2018

Given the recent rains and soggy soils that have plagued us this fall, compaction should be on everyone’s [...]

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Update from the Field: A Lot of Corn in Those Fields

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on December 4, 2018

The USDA’s November 26th Crop Progress Report showed the U.S. corn harvest at 94 percent complete, down slightly [...]

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Update from the Field: Is Your K Getting K.O.’d?

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on November 27, 2018

As harvest winds down and soil sample results start to come back, your thoughts should turn toward fall fertilizer. With yield trends continuing to increase due to improvements in genetics and management practices, we must continue to replace what we take off. You should consider your nutrient removal rates and [...]

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Update from the Field: Spring into Action this Fall

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on November 26, 2018

Abundant rain the last couple of months in much of the Cornbelt has promoted the relatively early emergence of winter [...]

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Update from the Field: Micronutrients: Not Sexy, but Essential

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on November 13, 2018

As the title suggests, micronutrient applications are not the most widely talked about in the agriculture industry. They [...]

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Update from the Field: White Corn Down!

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on November 2, 2018

Corn lodging resulting from stalk rot diseases can cause complications during harvest, loss of grain on the ground, and/or [...]

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Update from the Field: Wonderful Winter Wheat Weather?

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on October 23, 2018

Winter wheat can be a hard crop to grow successfully. As crops start coming off, we need to put planting [...]

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Update from the Field: El Niño, Nacho Typical Winter

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist and Dani Kusner, Agronomist on October 15, 2018

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) confirmed there’s a fifty percent chance of an El Niñ [...]

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Update from the Field: Put Back What You Take

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on October 2, 2018

Record yields have placed higher nutrient demands on the soil, and, if yield trends continue, the demand for soil nutrients [...]

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Update from the Field: Who is the Weed’s Daddy?

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on September 25, 2018

In the coming weeks, combines will be rolling and this year’s soybean crop will be coming off. [...]

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Update from the Field: Trash Talk

Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on September 18, 2018

The Pro Farmer Crop Tour has wrapped up, and they have released their official yield estimate for the 2018 U [...]

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