Soybeans

Draining excess water from farm fields in Illinois is vital to food and renewable fuel production. However, the lack of adequate farm drainage is a serious problem. Many older farm drainage systems are still in place but are past their viable economic use value due to being obsolete, inefficient,...

One of the most consistently asked questions to University of Illinois Extension offices across the state is, what is the going rate for cash rent for farmland?Cash rent rates are a common yet recurring question that is continuously researched...

When heavy rains result in ponded fields, the cause is poor drainage. Old field tiles in poor condition and/or undersized cannot efficiently remove excess water fast enough. When left unaddressed, the problem will worsen over time, resulting in compacted fields and lower yields.  Fixing the...

Farm drain tiles are vitally crucial to the success of Illinois crop production. These underground drainage systems help provide good soil-based crop growing conditions by removing excess water from the soil. A balanced mixture of air, water, and soil is crucial for plant health, as excessive...

Competition for farmland is fierce. Many other farmers may want to work the same land you do, whether renting or buying. Farming is a highly competitive business. Being efficient in business is essential to successful farm operations. Prioritizing management activities that will increase...

This article is for educational purposes and not to be considered legal advice.How should a farmer prepare for an agronomy service call when there is a problem with the crop growing in the field? The problem could be a poor stand with low and varied emerged plants. There may be chemical...

The number one question I receive is, “What is the going rate for cash rent?” Most landowners are seeking an average to charge a farmer for the use of the land per acre for one year. One of the problems with this approach is that many landowners really don’t know whether their farm is below or...

As a teenager, one of my farm duties was cultivating the weeds out of the corn and soybeans. I preferred to drive our bigger tractor because it was easier to handle, but the cultivator was mounted on the back which posed some additional challenges to the job at hand. Back in those days, GPS was...