Biological N Fixation Products for Corn: An Update

By John Grove and Chad Lee
Published on Mar. 24, 2025

Replacing, economically, some or all of corn’s fertilizer nitrogen (N) need with biological N fixation (BNF) is becoming a major goal in commercial corn production. With BNF, microbes fix atmospheric N as ammoniacal N and provide additional N nutrition to the crop.

Historical Corn and Soybean Yield Improvement in Kentucky

By Dennis Egli
Published on Mar. 24, 2025

It won’t be long before Kentucky farmers start planting the 2025 corn and soybean crops. At this time of the year, farmers are always optimistic, expecting record yields if the weather cooperates. This expectation is a result of the yield trends over the last nearly 100 years.

Tariffs and Trade: The Cost of U.S. Agriculture

By Grant Gardner
Published on Mar. 24, 2025

Tariffs are a government tool used to raise the price of foreign

Endangered Species Act – How Will it Affect You in the Near Future?

By Travis Legleiter
Published on Mar. 14, 2025

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) has existed since 1973 and was implemented to ensure that any actions taken by a government agency did not jeopardize any species that are federally listed as threatened or endangered. So, why are we now talking about this law in 2025, nearly fifty years after its original passing?

Follow the Basics to Maintain Yields and Manage Costs

By Edwin Ritchey and John Grove
Published on Feb. 24, 2025

An economist was overheard saying that there were 5 ways to increase profits in any production system: cut costs, cut costs, cut costs, cut costs, and increase yields. This was somewhat a joke but has a solid underlying basis. Let’s delve a little deeper into this strategy with some specific examples and practices to follow. 

Nitrogen Management Strategies in Winter Canola

By Mohammad Shamim and Chad Lee
Published on Feb. 24, 2025

Canola is a nitrogen-intensive crop and nitrogen (N) management is a key factor to consider for successful production. Researchers at K-State University and Canola Council of Canada stated that canola requires 2.5–3.5 lb/ac available nitrogen (N) per bushel of seed produced.

Winter Wheat in February

By Chad Lee
Published on Feb. 21, 2025

Most winter wheat survived well during the previous cold weather. While the air temperatures dropped near zero most soil temperatures at 2 inches below the surface remained above freezing (Kentucky Mesonet).

Corn Yield Recovery with At-Tasseling/Early Silking N Application

By John Grove and Edwin Ritchey
Published on Feb. 21, 2025

In the past decade, over 50 % of the years have given corn growers some difficulty with wet early season conditions. These conditions can complicate corn nitrogen (N) management. Sustained wetness can delay/prevent N application, resulting in uncertainty in corn’s N status at-tasseling/early silking (VT/R1), when ear development commences.

Too Wet to Soil Sample but Ideal to Check for Soil Compaction

By Edwin Ritchey and John Grove
Published on Feb. 21, 2025

We know producers are ready for the soil to dry out so they can start topdressing wheat with their first shot of nitrogen. This also makes us think about soil compaction, which is simply compressing a given volume of soil into a smaller volume. Compaction can occur in different places in the field and can be due to different reasons.

What Limits Yield – The Source or the Sink? Does it Matter?

By Dennis Egli
Published on Feb. 21, 2025

Crop Physiologists often analyze the yield production process in grain crops by dividing the process into two components – the source and the sink. The source is the photosynthetic machinery that supplies the raw materials and energy for plant growth. The sink is the seed that utilizes simple sugars from the source to grow.