News
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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? [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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?” [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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 [...]
