A farmer in southeastern Minnesota is hopeful cover crops will help him return to spring fieldwork sooner following recent rains. Ed McNamara of Goodhue says cover crops dry the soil out. “It basically acts like a dehumidifier because as the plant is green and growing, it’s sucking moisture out. So any moisture that you get,…… Continue Reading

A regional manager for Beck’s Hybrids says farmers in the Upper Midwest are shifting more acres to corn. Heather Morris is based in North Dakota and covers the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. “Sales never stop, and (earlier this month) actually a grower had decided to shift even more of his bean acres into corn. So…… Continue Reading

The coordinator of the Illinois Agricultural Pest Survey at the University of Illinois says the arrival of black cutworm moth flights across the Midwest could pose a challenge to fields with cover crops. Kelly Estes says the pests are here to lay eggs, and they’re attracted to fields with growth. “When you look across the…… Continue Reading