Did seed genetics exist 20-30 years ago that could have gotten today's yields if managed correctly with fertility? Or are our fertility plans just that much better at getting the most out of seed genetics? Damian asks XtremeAg's Kevin Matthews and Nachurs' Jason Worley: "Is it the Chicken or the Egg?"
Matt Miles is opting not to plant wheat this fall for 2024 harvest. Instead, he’s opting to plant full-season soybeans this spring, which is actually late winter in the Arkansas delta. Matt is making a cropping mix change based on price, manpower, moisture management, farm cost structure, and a few other reasons. He explains to Damian the analytics that go into his cropping decisions. Are you analyzing all aspects of your farm operation and financials to make cropping decisions? This episode wil...
Sometime between your crop's late reproductive stage and mid-winter, you have the opportunity to improve your soil quality and protect it from erosion by planting cover crops. Do you plant cover crops? Chances are, you don’t. Because most farm ground acres lay barren from harvest until planting. Kelly Garrett sees that as a mistake now that he’s seeing big results and financial returns after several years into his cover crop journey. Kelly is joined by Austin Tiefenthaler, a cover crop seed prod...
Farming is a business with high capital investment and historically low margins. Successful farming depends on more than just high yields — navigating the financial aspects of the farm is crucial, especially when the farm economy tightens. We owe it to Ag’s next generation to prepare them with the financial fundamentals to succeed. Nutrien Financial’s John Maman discusses farm finance for the beginning farmer in this episode of Cutting The Curve. If you want your farming legacy to continue, plea...
The Member Spotlight is on Iowa’s James Hepp. James — to put it lightly — isn't afraid to try new new things. He got into farming by crafting an arrangement with a retiring operator whose children wanted to retain the farm asset. James does cover crops, variable rate seeding, and a combo of no-till / strip-till. He does this all this with very modest machinery as he focuses on keeping the business side of his operation solvent. Aside from agronomics, James shares with Damian some financial and b...
After six years, Kelly Garrett is almost certain he’ll be switching from Enlist-traited soybeans to Dicamba-traited soybeans in 2024. He and agronomist Mike Wingrove discuss the reason they’re contemplating this decision. Essentially, it boils down to a herbicide resistant weed issue. Which, so far isn’t costing much of a yield drag but…why wait until it does? They share with Damian Mason how they'll make the soybean switch successful. Presented by Advanced Drainage Systems
Are grain bins all the same? How about dryers? They look the same and they all have the same function. But, their are some differences that are important for farmers to know about before purchasing their next bin or dryer. Damian Mason talks with Johnny Verrell, Chad Henderson and the experts at Superior Grain Equipment about the different options.
Mike Evans, agronomist who works with Kelly Garrett, got called to the field when the combine operators knew they were losing beans but not sure why. Turns out, the soybean plants had pods so close to the ground the machine header was running over them, unable to pick them up. That’s why Mr. Evans contemplated changes in inputs to alleviate this problem. Next year they’re changing out a plant growth regulator. Listen to find out how they intend to make it work. Mike and Kelly talk to Damian Maso...
What you are doing in the fall — from the combine pass until the calendar flips to the new year — can have a big impact on nutrient availability for your crops come next summer. XA’s Matt Swanson explains how the impact of tillage, residue degradation products, or cover crops affect nutrient distribution and availability for next summer’s crop. A great discussion on a subject you’re probably not thinking enough about in this episode of Cutting The Curve with Damian Mason. Presented by Advanced D...
Damian talks with Kevin Matthews and Chad Henderson about where they think yield potential is and the limiting factors on their farms that are currently keeping them from getting there.
As Kelly Garrett says, the holy grail of American Agriculture is corn production and for 50 years we’ve thought the key to more corn is more nitrogen. As it turns out, too much nitrogen in the Autumn can degrade soil biology so that you’re actually hurting yourself. XA’s Matt Swanson sits down with Damian Mason to discuss new findings on soil biology, understanding the nitrogen / carbon ratio, and the importance of water extractable carbon. Presented by Loveland Products
Starting in August, farmers are presented with purchasing programs for next season’s inputs. Which inputs should you buy now? What programs make sense? How much different are purchase decisions in an era of higher interest rates? Those questions and more are addressed as Damian Mason sits down with Jarod Creed of JC Ag Financial and Iowa farmers Kelly Garrett and Jeremy Muff. Presented by AgXplore
There is an economic principle that states that, after a certain point, each additional unit of input (like fertilizer) will result in progressively smaller increases in output (like crop yield). This means that there's an optimal amount of fertilizer for a given crop in a given soil, and beyond that point, you're just wasting money. Well, as it turns out, much — or maybe even most — of your applied Phosphorous and Potassium is unavailable for your crops. In the old days of inexpensive fertilize...
We are talking about rescuing a crop from chemical damage. Temple Rhodes talks about the confluence of factors that stunted his early corn crop and most importantly, how he nursed it back to almost full recovery.
Russ Uselton’s farm ground is so rough and rocky, he jokes that he looks south from his Tennessee perch and yearns for Chad Henderson’s red Alabama clay. All kidding aside, Russ — who started from scratch — is building a business on highly erodible, small patch farming, with a mixture of crops and cows. The first generation farmer bought cattle in 2005 and planted his first crop in 2018. Today he runs 200 cow-calf pairs on 1,000 acres of pasture and farms 500 acres of corn and soy. Russ talks to...
Contrary to what you may have heard, you CAN increase the organic matter percentage in your soil. And…it won’t take you a lifetime to do so. The key: Roots. Darren Hefty joins XtremeAg’s Lee Lubbers in a hugely informative and enlightening conversation with Damian Mason about the critical role roots play in upping the organic matter in soil. Lee and Darren explain how they’ve increased OM composition considerably on their farms through reduced tillage, cover crops, and fostering soil biology. If...
When Should You Push Your Soybeans? Chad Henderson and Kevin Matthews are no stranger to high yielding soybeans. They discuss their soybean fertility programs with Damian Mason, and share their secrets for picking up extra yield by spoonfeeding their soybeans at specific times during the season.
There’s an old saying about good things taking time. Such is the promise of biological crop inputs— while they do provide an immediate result, their larger benefit accumulates over time. Chad Henderson compares biological usage to chicken litter. “We’ve been using chicken litter a long time. You don’t see immediate results…But by the third year of chicken litter, you can definitely see things changing in your soil.” Chad joins Holganix’s Mike Batson and Damian Mason to discuss the cumulative eff...
Farmers have come a long way from the days of blasting out a load of dry fertilizer early in the season. Kevin Matthews and Jason Worley from Nachurs talk with Damian Mason about pushing a corn crop with late season applications. How late is too late?
Plant biostimulants have gained significant attention in the world of agriculture and in recent years. But what exactly are they, and how can they benefit your crop? Damian Mason is in the Stoller booth at Farm Progress to find out what exactly a biostimulant is and more importantly, what their role is in getting you to the next yield level.
Pigweed — layman’s term for Water Hemp and Palmer Amaranth — is a big problem. The species which is native to the desert southwest has successfully migrated to crop fields throughout the U.S. Because of its roots in the desert and its biology, the plants are tough to kill and getting even tougher. XA’s Matt Swanson and Caleb Traugh join FMC’s Blaire Colvin to discuss strategies to manage an increasingly resistant class of weeds that’s very prolific and capable of causing huge yield drags. Presen...
AgroLiquid’s Galynn Beer joins Temple Rhodes to explain the multiple soybean trials displayed at Temple’s field day. The big takeaway: It’s time to stop treating soybeans as simply the rotation between corn. Because….With enhanced fertility practices soybeans can make big yields and a lot of money!
About 90 miles from XtremeAg’s Temple Rhodes, you’ll find 29-year-old farmer and XA member Greg Dell. Greg didn’t want to go to college, but his dad wouldn’t allow him back on the farm until he’d worked somewhere else for three years. He explains the growth and learning experience being employed by a large-scale farming operation allowed him. Greg discusses with Damian his aspiration to be better but not necessarily bigger, the value of experimentation, and the farm's profitable expansion into b...
After your combine completes the harvest pass, the remaining residue begins breaking down. But if you let this breakdown happen on nature’s timetable, you’re wasting valuable nutrients. Last year’s crop residue holds fertility that you’ve already paid for — an effective management plan recycles your fertility investment. Temple, Chad, and Holganix’s Rob McCoy discuss the importance of residue management.
Matt and Layne Miles are approaching the end of harvest 2023. With moisture preventing the combines from running their final soybean fields and the cotton a couple weeks shy of completion, the Miles join Damian to discuss this season’s takeaways. Almost everything matured simultaneously which made for an exhausting three- week run and some fast lessons. Most notably for this year — Matt says his final pass didn’t produce an ROI. Presented by Loveland Products
Temple Rhodes and AgroLiquid’s Joe Leslie explain corn trials being conducted at Temple’s field day. The trials are a series with additional product and modifications from one to the next, eventually culminating in a trial involving applications of everything including the kitchen sink. How do you know if you’ve gone too far if you don’t push the envelope? Temple says “send it!”
Kevin Matthews had a field of corn get hit with hail third week of June. After analyzing the field, he decided to vary from his usual practice to salvage hailed corn. He usually applies fungicide and a foliar fertility product within 48 hours of a hail event if he thinks the corn can be saved. Fungicide is key, FMC’s Gail Stratman tells us, because those falling ice balls open up a lot of infection points on the corn plants inviting corn into the crop. Because this field had Xyway applied at tim...
Have interest rates put a damper on new equipment purchases? Is used machinery still hot as it was during the pandemic? What equipment is a hot seller right now at farm auctions and what should you know about the marketplace? Jeff Wille with Duwa’s Auction Service of Wellman, Iowa discusses used implements, auction action, and more with Damian Mason. Presented by Loveland Products.
Biologicals have emerged in force over the past decade. Do you apply biologicals and if so, when? Chad Henderson discusses his large-scale trials of applying biologicals post - harvest. The benefits: Breaking down fodder, releasing nutrients, enhancing soil biology, and several other things you’ll find out if you listen to this episode! Chad is joined by Holganix’s Mike Batson and host Damian Mason. Presented by Advanced Drainage Systems
Johnny Verell’s farming operation is expanding. Unfortunately, so is Jackson, Tennessee — the city whose sprawl of suburbs and commercial development is knocking on Johnny’s door. Johnny explains his strategy to survive, or even thrive, when bulldozers and concrete trucks roll into fields he once farmed. (He’s lost 350 acres to development in his backyard, yet he’s still growing!) A few of Mr. Verell’s tips: Stay in good graces with landlords to partner with them on transitioning to future land ...
