BRUNO PEDREIRA KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE A year ago, I wrote in this column about the importance of correcting acidic soils to make sure our forages grow green and fast in Tennessee pastures. However, in the last few months, I have been receiving...

JAKE MCNEAL JACKSON, TENNESSEE Soybean replanting decisions are almost always a tough call and a subjective decision.  Unseasonably warm and dry conditions throughout the late winter and up to the present have sent planting progress well above any “average” number I...

MARY HIGHTOWER JONESBORO, ARKANSAS  Dry weather at the start of the row crop growing season has sped planting of the state’s five major crops, with soybeans going in the ground at the fastest pace since 1988. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported that as of...

LINDA GEIST NOVELTY, MISSOURI  Heavy rainfall is becoming more frequent across Missouri, leaving producers dealing with saturated soils, ponded fields and flooding even before the 2026 growing season began. Understanding how excess water affects crops – and what steps can help in...

MARY HIGHTOWER LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS  While interest rates have declined from post-pandemic highs, higher input costs related to oil prices may add to farmers’ interest expense burden, said Ryan Loy, extension economist for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. The Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve met March 18, voting...

JOHN LOVETT FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS  Electricity and water don’t usually mix, but technological advancements in floating solar arrays open the potential to generate electricity while decreasing impacts on farm irrigation reservoirs and agricultural land. Michael Popp with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station is...

JORDAN STRICKLER LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY A University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment researcher is leading a new project that could help farmers fight some of agriculture’s hardest-to-control insect pests with a method designed to hit the target and leave...

MARY HIGHTOWER SEARCY, ARKANSAS  Some Arkansas ranchers are reaching into their reserve hay as drought intensifies across the state. The April 9 map from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows 99.96 percent of Arkansas has some form of drought. Areas with the highest intensity of drought – exceptional drought...

GIOVANI PREZA FONTES URBANA, ILLINOIS March was wetter than normal across much of Illinois, with statewide precipitation averaging 4.85 inches, 1.91 inches above normal. The wet trend continued into the first two weeks of April, particularly in northern Illinois, which has...

HEATHER MARIE KELLY JACKSON, TENNESSEE This week I’ve gotten calls asking about fungicide decisions in wheat – is an application needed or not? While the initial conversation is on Fusarium Head Blight (FHB/scab) and the forecasting models available for FHB, I...

ROB JONES, JENNIFER LUTES, MALLORY RAHE AND KENTHA CHANNALAH COLUMBIA, MISSOURI Across Missouri, farm families are navigating a complicated economic landscape. Margins are tight. Input costs remain elevated. Commodity markets fluctuate. Expanding acreage is expensive, and adding scale is not always realistic....

BRENT BEAN LUBBOCK, TEXAS Decreasing availability of irrigation water in the Southern High Plains and western U.S. has led dairies and feedyards to increasingly look to sorghum to meet their silage needs. Silage sorghum hybrids have come a long way since...

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI EXTENSION COLUMBIA, MISSOURI  Although many farms are starting the planting season with bulk tanks full of sub-$3-per-gallon diesel purchased over the winter, the first refill this spring could cost $1.50-plus per gallon more than they paid for their...

 DENNIS B. EGLI LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY It’s that time of the year – producers are done tinkering with their planters and are ready to hit the field, hoping to get that perfect ‘picket fence’ stand where every plant is equally spaced and...

NATHAN GREGORY STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI Mississippi farmers are planning fewer acres of most major row crops in 2026, reflecting continued pressure from falling commodity prices and rising production costs, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA’s Prospective Plantings...