Syngenta Thrive

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Lindie Huffman, 2022 winner of the Syngenta #RootedInAg contest, grew up surrounded by tobacco fields and beef cattle while most children were playing with tablets or riding bikes. She moved to the sixth-generation operation when she was just five years old. Her agrarian playhouse, otherwise known as the family farm, sits in northern Kentucky.

“It’s hot, time consuming and labor-intensive work,” Huffman says. “Our farm was very much about quality over quantity.”

At the center of the operation is the home of Huffman’s grandparents, where she spent countless hours. She worked the land and bonded with her Grandfather Kenny, whom she coined Papaw. He became the most influential person in her life.

An Influential Bond

The #RootedinAg contest from Syngenta asks growers and ag professionals to share the story of their ag mentor. In her essay, Huffman honors her grandfather, who worked as a roadside agronomist for the state of Kentucky while managing the family farm. “His level of commitment is what I saw,” says Huffman. “And that showed me the opportunity within agriculture.”

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He passed that on to Huffman, who is passionate about lending a helping hand to all involved in the ag industry. Her desire to serve others is driven by lessons learned from her grandfather. “I realized that I have a servant’s heart and I want to be able to help other farmers,” she says.

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His level of commitment is what I saw, says Huffman. And that showed me the opportunity within agriculture.

Lindie Huffman Accounting Extension Agent for Agricultural National Resources, University of Kentucky

Huffman says her grandfather taught her critical ag lessons from a young age that propelled her towards an agricultural career. He taught her about different plants by showing her how to identify blades of grass and picking up leaves around the tobacco fields.

“He was the only person in my family who had gone to university, and he made sure I had that opportunity,” says Huffman. “I went to the University of Kentucky, where he attended.”

Huffman’s story made an impression on both the online voters and the #RootedinAg contest judges, who named her the 2022 grand prizewinner.

“Lindie’s roots in ag run deep,” says Wendell Calhoun, Syngenta strategic marketing and operations manager. “We thank her and everyone who shared their stories. Those stories inspire us to stay innovative for the future generations of the ag community.”

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Making an Impact in Ag

Huffman is now an accounting extension agent for agricultural national resources at the University of Kentucky. On top of her work in educational programing and community development, she helps local farmers adopt new management practices and find new marketing opportunities.

One of Huffman’s largest projects was growing the Pendleton County Farmer’s Market from three vendors in 2012 to 34 in 2022. “Farmers’ markets are a catalyst for community,” says Huffman.” The market is now a center where the community connects with food and local growers’ profit and provide the public with fresh produce.

The farmer’s market is also home to Sprout’s Kids’ Club, a farmers’ market-based children’s program that teaches about produce, local food systems and more. Here children engage directly with farmers by spending tokens as regular market shoppers would.

As part of Huffman’s prize, Syngenta made a $1,000 donation in her grandfather’s name to the Sprouts Kids’ Club at the Pendleton County Farmer’s Market. The club educates children about agriculture as Huffman’s grandfather did for her, which is why she chose it as the donation’s recipient. The donation will provide the children with access to more opportunities to learn and connect with agriculture.

“I think that there’s power in storytelling and opportunity in letting people know where their food comes from,” says Huffman. “It builds relationships with the consumer. My mission is to keep farmers farming and to keep families fed through access to local foods.”

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Knowing when to plant feels more akin to roulette than science in the face of unpredictable climate patterns.

When farmers decide to plant profoundly affects the rest of their growing season. Everything — from fertilizer applications to pest and disease pressures, from irrigation schedules to harvest, all the way into storage and sale — depends on planting date.

One crop’s schedule can affect those of other crops. Delayed planting dates for a particular crop can put growers who produce multiple commodities behind the 8-Ball for the rest of the season. If an Idaho grower, for example, is forced to delay planting winter wheat, harvesting that wheat may bump up against his scheduled start to potato harvest, stretching thin such fundamental resources as equipment, manpower and, perhaps most crucially, time.

Those variables are on the mind of growers of every crop as planting time nears. Do you plant early to achieve higher yields? Do you hold off to avoid potential disaster like freeze or flood? It’s tough to find that sweet spot, but collecting information helps.

“The best way to determine your planting date is to look at historic weather data and to take into consideration hybrid and variety selection,” says Jami Loecker, a Manhattan, Kansas-based agronomy service manager for Syngenta. Loecker works with producers growing a variety of crops, including corn, soybean, sorghum, wheat, potatoes and sugarbeets — giving her regular firsthand looks at the consequences of myriad planting decisions.

After considering that data, Loecker says that growers need to take an honest look at their operations and determine which worst-case scenarios they can accept as consequences of planting either too early or too late.

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The best way to determine your planting date is to look at historic weather data and to take into consideration hybrid and variety selection.

Jami Loecker Agronomy Service Manager at Syngenta

Planting Cotton in the Southeast

Planting considerations vary by crop and geographic area. Take cotton in North Carolina, where planting typically takes place throughout the month of May.

Guy Collins, an extension cotton specialist with North Carolina State University, advises growers across the state. He says that for cotton, there is no more important indicator in most years than air temperature. Collins’ rule of thumb is that growers need to see a total of 50 “heat units” in the five days leading up to planting. Growers calculate a day’s heat unit measurement by adding the daily high temperature in degrees Fahrenheit to the daily low, dividing that number by two, and then subtracting 60. For example, a day with a high of 70 and a low of 50 would have zero heat units; a high of 80 and a low of 60 has 10 heat units.

“Five days in a row with an average of 10 heat units a day is the ideal planting condition for cotton,” Collins says. “But there are many, many times where conditions aren’t ideal. Those first couple days, you’re at the highest risk of chilling the cotton and killing the seed, so growers need to be aware and cautious.”

To aid growers, NC State Extension developed a planting conditions calculator for cotton (available at products.climate.ncsu.edu/ag/cotton-planting). The site uses Google Earth and National Weather Service forecasts to calculate planting conditions on a particular day in a location as precise as a specific field. While the calculator is specifically designed for cotton, Collins says the data can be used to calculate for multiple crops.

Corn Belt Considerations

Throughout most of the Corn Belt, conventional wisdom states that the best window for planting corn appears for about a month, from mid-April to mid-May. The perfect date, of course, depends on several factors, including latitude, soil moisture, soil temperature, air temperature, and final market. These circumstances sometimes contradict one another, further complicating the decision-making process.

“It is possible for early-planted corn in one year to yield more than, less than or equal to later-planted corn in another year, depending on the exact combination of yield-influencing factors for each year,” says Bob Nielsen, a corn specialist and professor of agronomy with Purdue University Extension. “Farmers know this to be true because many have had late-planted crops in recent years yield better than any crop they have ever had because the remainder of the growing season was extremely favorable for crop growth and development.”

In an April 2022 article titled “The Planting Date Conundrum for Corn,” Nielsen notes that most corn agronomists will preach the importance of timely planting, even if data strongly suggest that planting date accounts for a mere 10% of the variability in year-to-year yields. With his state’s (Indiana) corn planting largely delayed by about two weeks in 2022 due to unusually wet weather, Nielsen cautioned growers not to panic:

“Let’s not succumb quite yet to fearmongering triggered by the delayed start of planting the 2022 corn crop,” he wrote. “‘Mudding in a crop early to avoid planting late will almost always end up being an unwise decision.”

Shifting Schedules

So, what are some best practices growers should follow when planting in less-than-ideal conditions? According to Loecker:

  • “Growers should not panic and make drastic changes due to slight delays.”
  • “They should consult trusted agronomists to verify whether any changes in their plan based on planting date are necessary.”
  • “Always plan for a successful crop regardless of planting date — even if you don’t get what you think is a perfect start, provide the crop with the best chance to perform under whatever circumstances it’s placed under.”

Most producers agree with Loecker’s point that no growing season is ever perfect. But when things start going south, a lot of folks’ first instinct is to rush to fix the problem — a human tendency that lends itself to overcorrection.

That’s exactly why having a plan B (and plans C, D and E) long beforehand is so important. A changed planting schedule alters other factors throughout the growing season, and the most successful growers are ready for any eventuality. “If initial schedules significantly shift, growers may consider altering their hybrid or variety maturity. In the worst cases, it might even be necessary to switch to a different crop altogether,” Loecker says. “They should also consider how pest pressures will change with a later-planted crop.”

Loecker also recommends utilizing available digital tools like Syngenta’s Cropwise™ Financials. “As we implement more precision technology — achieving more accuracy regarding planting depth, plant spacing and nutritional needs — the less issues we will see compounded by planting date,” she says. “Additionally, Cropwise Financials makes it simple for a grower to create and modify a plan as needed once the season gets into motion.”

Collins adds that while everyone expects a normal year, there is no such thing.

“But if growers are timely on management of disease and pest threats throughout the rest of the year, they will usually come out of it okay after a late planting,” he says.

In a nutshell, experienced agronomists encourage growers and their consultants to trust themselves and each other to do their own due diligence and make the right call. You may not be right every single time, Collins says, but no one is better equipped to make decisions about your crops and land than you.

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With less than 2% of the U.S. population involved in farming and ranching, many people are largely unaware of their food’s backstory. Chad and Jeana Steiner noticed that gap and wanted to make a difference, so they decided to launch their own agritourism destination in Washington.

“You can go to the grocery store and get any type of produce without really understanding what it took to produce it,” says Jeana Steiner.

When the Steiners purchased an empty lot a couple hours east of Seattle in Chelan, they saw an opportunity to realize their dream of providing agricultural education. Eight years later, the land hosts a flourishing farm where visitors learn how food goes from farm to fork and wine flows from grape to glass.

The Seed of an Idea

Love for agriculture is central to the Steiners’ relationship; They met in the Future Farmers of America (FFA) program. Between undergraduate and graduate school, Chad worked for Ste. Michelle winery. “That’s what planted the seed to start a vineyard for him,” says Jeana Steiner. “And I just love being outside.” Additionally, Chad grew his agricultural knowledge during a 12-year tenure with Syngenta.

In 2014, the Steiners, who were living in Sacramento, California, bought property in order to open their own vineyard.

“With Chad traveling for Syngenta, touring apple orchards and seeing every farm culture on a mass and small scale, we began to understand how disconnected people are from farming,” Jeana Steiner says. With that in mind, the Steiners looked beyond a traditional vineyard toward creating a space where people can reconnect to farming.

Fruitful Expansion

The Steiners’ three young boys inspired the farm’s next expansion. After relocating to Chelan, the couple looked for family fun as Halloween approached. When they discovered the nearest pumpkin patch was over an hour away, they saw an opportunity.

“I talked to the local principal, Erin Moran, and did an experiment with the fourth graders,” Jeana Steiner says. “They helped us plant the pumpkin seeds, and the following fall, they all came back to pick out a pumpkin.”

The pumpkin patch is now in its fourth year and the Steiners added U-Pick apples and U-Pick flowers to the farm activities. “There was a grandma with her family last season who was so excited to pick an apple for her first time. It was amazing to see a memory they will be able to share forever,” Jeana Steiner says.

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There have been days where we wonder how we are going to do this. It’s just Chad and me. We don’t have outside investors. We hope to carry this forward and make a difference in people’s lives.

Jeana Steiner Owner of Chelan Valley Farms

As business on the farm increased, visitors expressed an interest in learning what happens behind the scenes. With a focus on education, the Steiners began free public farm tours. The tours normally include about 30 people.

“We tailor the tour to what’s going on with the farm at the time,” Chad Steiner says. “I like to wrap these discussions into the big picture of why growers do certain things, such as apple thinning.” Apple thinning, he explains, helps produce a certain size of apple.

Through Airbnb and VBRO®, the Steiners made their guest house available to visitors who want to experience staying on a working farm. Tourists from California to England have visited the property. “I was honestly blown away with the interest of people that wanted to come and stay,” Jeana Steiner says.

The couple fulfilled their other agricultural dream by opening Lagriōth Winery on-site, which is named after the words lake, agritourism and growth. “Chad is really well-versed in wine making,” says Connor Flanagan, a visitor at Chelan Valley Farms. “The knowledge he brings to the table is invaluable, and it’s super interesting to hear the story behind the grapes.”

Harvesting Guidance

For growers interested in agritourism, the Steiners say a crucial first step is deciding whether it will be a hobby or a main income source. Chad Steiner says important considerations include input costs, time involved, and which crops and agritourism operations can drive revenue.

Chad Steiner says growing the customer base through promotional efforts is key to the farm’s success. Social media, local media, and Chamber of Commerce weekly bulletins are important marketing tools for the Steiners.

Jeana Steiner adds that having an experienced mentor was helpful. Niki Allision, a local farmer who sells flowers, helped mentor the Steiners when they were getting started. The Steiners now mentor others. “I had someone call a few days ago who has property, and he just doesn’t know how to get started,” says Jeana Steiner. “He asked if he could come on the farm tour and see behind the scenes with our animals.”

Like all growers, the Steiners experience times of hardship. “There have been days where we wonder how we are going to do this,” says Jeana Steiner. “It’s just Chad and me. We don’t have outside investors. We hope to carry this forward and make a difference in people’s lives.”

To learn more about Chelan Valley Farms please visit: Chelan Valley Farms

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Tight grain stocks, high commodity prices and strong farm income direct much attention to soaring farmland values and the rising production cost. At the intersection of farmland and production expenses are cash rental rates. For farmland owners, higher rents result in more income. For farmland renters, higher cash rents are yet another expense trending higher.

Dollars Per Acre

Figure 1 shows the cash rental rates for average-quality farmland in Indiana. While the level of cash rent paid varies greatly across the country, the general trend in recent years is similar. After rising to about $230 per acre between 2013 and 2015, cash rents fell to $205 per acre by 2016 because of lower commodity prices and farm incomes. In 2020, rental rates began increasing and again approached $230 per acre by 2021.

In 2022, rates peaked at $252 per acre. While it took nearly a decade for cash rental rates to exceed the previous high, these data alone don’t provide a complete summary of the situation.

A bar chart showing Cash Rental Rate for Average Quality Indiana Farmland, 2010-2022.
Figure 1. Cash Rental Rate for Average Quality Indiana Farmland, 2010-2022.

Dollars Per Bushel

As we’ve written in previous columns, considering only dollars per acre distorts our thinking, especially when productivity changes are a factor. Corn yields, for example, nationally trend toward increasing by 2.1 bushels per acre per year. While the management implications may be negligible on a year-to-year basis, the effects are significant over a decade. So how do 2022 rental rates compare with rates from a decade ago, when budgeted yields were roughly 20 bushels lower?

Figure 2 shows the Indiana cash rent data per bushel of yield. On a dollars-per-bushel basis, cash rental rates remain lower than they were a decade ago. More specifically, 2022 rental rates were equal to $1.32 per bushel in 2022, compared to the high of $1.43 per bushel in 2013. Furthermore, per-bushel rents were higher than 2022 levels between 2013 and 2015.

A line graph showing Cash Rent Per Bushel of Yield, Average Quality Indiana Farmland, 1990-2022.
Figure 2. Cash Rent Per Bushel of Yield, Average Quality Indiana Farmland, 1990-2022.

Wrapping It Up

While it’s hard to say how much higher cash rental rates will be in 2023 and beyond, these data highlight two important management implications.

First, producers should avoid using just one measurement – corn per acre, cost per bushel, etc. – when considering how expensive or burdensome production expenses have become. While per-acre cash rental rates are at all-time highs, productivity gains have chipped away at the cost per unit of output sold. In other words, yield increases have offset some of the price sting.

Second, these data suggest the possibility of additional upward pressure on cash rents. Producers were paying more per bushel of anticipated yield the last time commodity prices were this high. In today’s terms, 2013 cash rents at $1.43 per bushel – $0.10 per bushel higher than current levels – equate to $273 per acre, more than $20 per acre (+8.5%) higher than current cash rents. This is some context surrounding the current situation, not a forecast of future cash rents.

Finally, rental rates and trends vary across commodities and geographies, but management lessons remain the same. During significant, rapid changes in revenue and expenses, insights from cost-per-acre and cost-per-bushel provide considerable value.

David and Brent are the co-founders of Ag Economic Insights (AEI.ag). Founded in 2014, AEI.ag helps improve producers, lenders, and agribusiness decision-making through 1) the free Weekly Insights blog, 2) the award-winning AEI.ag Presents podcast – featuring Escaping 1980 and Corn Saves America, and 3) the AEI Premium platform, which includes the Ag Forecast Network decision tool. Visit AEI.ag or email David (david@aei.ag) to learn more. Stay curious.

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Insects such as soybean aphids and stink bugs are a common problem for soybean growers, and without proper management, they can quickly eat up yields. Now that chlorpyrifos-based products can no longer be used due to updated Environmental Protection Agency guidance, some growers may find themselves without a solution.

Endigo® ZCX insecticide offers soybean growers another tool to help them control these pests. It contains thiamethoxam and lambda-cyhalothrin. These complementary modes of action provide broad-spectrum control of key Northern and Southern soybean pests, including pyrethroid-resistant pests and invasive species. The enhanced formulation contains 30% more active ingredient per acre versus previous Endigo formulations, providing fast knockdown and longer residual activity.

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  • Vascular-clogging toxins cause yellow flecking associated with Sudden Death Syndrome.
  • Ideal soybean growing conditions lend themselves to SDS.
  • Soybean cyst nematodes can exacerbate SDS.

 

Q. What is Sudden Death Syndrome, and how do you identify it?

A. Abigail Peterson, director of agronomy, Illinois Soybean Association: Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) is a disease caused by a soilborne fungus, Fusarium virguliforme, that can survive in both corn and soybean residue systems. This fungal infection starts at soybean germination and is more prevalent in cool, wet growing conditions. The disease usually forms during the early reproductive stages. Growers sometimes misdiagnose SDS due to its resemblance to brown stem rot or stem canker. When scouting during the later vegetative stages, also known as the early reproductive stages, you’ll first notice leaf discoloration, which can range from yellow to brown. To eliminate the overlap of brown stem rot’s similar foliar symptoms, check the plant’s root. At the base of the plant, occasionally you will see a blue mold on the outside of the taproot – a sign of SDS. A final scouting step is to split the stem and evaluate if the internal tissue is discolored.

A. Dale Ireland, technical product lead, Syngenta: SDS is a “top five” soybean yield destructor – and has been for many years. It is an environmentally driven disease caused by Fusarium virguliforme, a commonly found soil fungus. Soy growers know the classic foliar yellow flecking is actually not the disease itself, but it is caused by F. virguliforme toxins produced in the root, plugging the vascular system within the soy plant. These toxins don’t allow proper nutrient flow between the root system and leaf canopy. The yellow flecks in the leaves coalesce and destroy much-needed leaf area during pod fill – often significantly impacting final yield.

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Select soybean varieties with high-yield potential and with strong SDS scores.

Dale Ireland Technical Product Lead, Syngenta

Q. Do certain environmental conditions increase the likelihood of this disease?

A. Ireland: Environmental conditions highly impact SDS. An ideal SDS season begins with early planting in cooler, wetter conditions followed by a high-yield environment through much of the growing season. Some stress during early pod fill can create a load on the plant roots to deliver moisture and nutrients to the leaves, and this in turn increases the Fusarium virguliforme root infection toxins. Yellow flecks begin showing and coalescing and destroying leaf area, which is vital as it acts as a photosynthetic factory – producing what a plant needs to develop young soybeans in pods.

A. Peterson: Cool, wet soil conditions are usually a prime environment for SDS. The slowed germination from these conditions allows the fungus to infect the soybean roots. Wet conditions are a conduit for many soybean fungal diseases. SDS is unique in that its impact to a given area can be varied and unpredictable. Fields with a history of soybean cyst nematode usually have a correlation to SDS presence.

Q. When should growers be on the lookout for SDS?

A. Ireland: SDS typically begins showing up in spots – often field headlands or field entrances or compacted soil areas – in August. The earlier these symptoms show, often the greater the yield impact.

A. Peterson: It’s hard to predict or know the chance you’ll have the disease because SDS sometimes occurs later in the season. Know your field disease history and take good records of specific disease problems. Scout fields to accurately diagnose the problem. Detection from aerial plant health images can be a source of notification, although leaf tissue may be further intensified at that time than if you spotted it earlier during routine ground visuals. Also, contact your agronomist to check how products affect the health of your leaf tissue.

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Q. What can growers do to mitigate this disease?

A. Peterson: SDS-infected fields can result in flower and/or pod abortion. Planting during warm, dry conditions isn’t always easy, but can help reduce SDS infection. It may help to plant historically SDS-prone fields later. Management practices that increase soil aggregation, reduce compaction, increase residue breakdown, and minimize soil loss can all reduce the risk of SDS. When reviewing varieties, choose soybeans that score well for both SDS tolerance and soybean cyst nematode resistance. Although SDS is associated with leaf tissue symptoms, a foliar fungicide will not affect a disease that infects the root system. To help reduce yield loss, evaluate seed treatments that have data provided from trials shown to protect yield in SDS conditions.

A. Ireland: Select soybean varieties with high-yield potential and with strong SDS scores. Managing your plant parasitic nematodes will help protect against SDS, too. Nematodes open the root system for Fusarium virguliforme infection and stress plants, leading to worse SDS infections. Another option is adopting a seed- and plant-safe seed treatment, like Saltro®, that protects against SDS and nematodes. Rotating away from continuous soybeans also helps. Not managing SDS leads to more SDS. Because Fusarium virguliforme can establish itself in soils, if you choose to ignore SDS, the longer you grow soybeans, the greater the chances of SDS becoming established and turning into a perennial problem.

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“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Unfortunately, that’s the wrong strategy when facing corn rootworm (CRW). The pest is adaptive and destructive. Now more than ever, monitoring and maneuvering are essential defense strategies.

“Corn rootworm is our No. 1 economic pest. When it’s bad, it’s really bad,” says Erin Hodgson, Ph.D., Iowa State University extension entomologist.

Andrew Nesseth, crop consultant with EXTended Ag Services of Lakefield, Minnesota, says CRW pressure and crop damage is increasing in his area as mild winters and more continuous corn acres create ideal conditions. Dry weather also amplifies yield losses, as damaged roots are less likely to regenerate, leaving fewer roots to take up moisture.

As frustrating as losses can be, Hodgson urges restraint in management. “We do not recommend the ‘kitchen sink’ approach,” she says. “Corn rootworm is a very adaptable pest. If you use every tool all the time, a small population will adapt and overcome.”

Instead, she says, growers should assess CRW pressure and build a strategic battle plan.

Assess the Enemy

The most significant damage from CRW occurs when larvae feed on brace roots in June and July. This is when to start scouting for the pest.

“It’s most accurate to dig corn and look for root injury, but it’s a time-consuming and miserable task in July,” Hodgson says, noting that using sticky traps to capture CRW adults is an easier and still effective option for scouting.

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Most problematic situations occur when the same management practice is used year after year. Changing things up keeps the options we have working better for longer.

Bruce Battles Technical Agronomy Manager at Syngenta

If growers catch two or more beetles per card per day, it indicates pressure will exceed economic thresholds. Some CRW eggs undergo extended diapause, which is a period of suspended development. However, in areas of the Eastern Corn Belt where a variant exists that will lay eggs in soybeans, growers should also consider scouting soybean fields.

“It doesn’t take many larvae to reduce yields by 30 to 40%,” Hodgson says. “Beyond root damage, feeding opens roots to pathogens and other pests. It’s death by 1,000 papercuts.”

Build a Battle Plan

“Most problematic situations occur when the same management practice is used year after year,” says Bruce Battles, Syngenta technical agronomy manager. “Changing things up keeps the options we have working better for longer.”

Some options to mix and match based on crop history, planting date and expected and historical pest pressure include:

  • Low pressure: Use a non-CRW traited hybrid with or without a soil insecticide.
  • High pressure: Use a soil insecticide along with a single CRW trait, multiple CRW traits or a non-CRW traited hybrid.
  • Very high pressure: Rotate to a non-host crop for one or more years.

Traits are the baseline for most growers battling CRW, says Tim O’Brien, Syngenta traits manager. They provide easy, season-long CRW protection. And with stacked traits, growers can use one product to control multiple insects. One option is DuracadeViptera™ trait stack, which protects against 16 above- and below-ground pests.

But traits alone can’t hold the line in very high pressure CRW fields; A four- to five-year rotating strategy is a better option, Battles says. It might look like this: Following soybeans plant a non-CRW traited hybrid. Next season, use a CRW-traited hybrid and monitor CRW pressure. Depending on pressure, use a CRW-traited hybrid again the next year, but rotate or combine modes of action. If CRW pressure increases, use CRW-traited hybrids with soil-applied insecticides. In cases of particularly strong pressure, an in-season insecticide application to reduce adult CRW populations may provide some relief.

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Seed treatment can provide more protection, but isn’t a stand-alone alternative, Battles says. CruiserMaxx® Corn 1250 seed treatment is one effective option. It increases seedling vigor to help overcome root injury and provides short-term systemic protection for early roots. The CRW node injury scale is zero to three nodes, with one node being above economic thresholds. Battles says CruiserMaxx Corn 1250 can reduce damage by 0.25 nodes.

Identify Future Risk

Past and current field management are good indicators of future CRW populations. Scouting for root damage and tracking adult beetle populations are good predictors of expected CRW populations next season. Each corn rootworm adult female can lay 1,500 to 2,000 eggs. When those eggs hatch the following season, their larvae begin to feed on corn roots. When using traits, the larvae must take a bite for the trait to provide control. “If everyone comes to the table for a little nibble, that’s a lot of potential damage,” Battles says.

Planting date is also an important consideration, as CRW beetles tend to concentrate in fresh habitat, Nesseth says.

“They go to the youngest corn,” he says. “Beetles will concentrate in areas with late-planted hybrids or replanted acres.”

Longer-season corn can lead to greater problems, too. “It increases the length of time there’s good habitat for corn rootworm beetles. It’s a complex problem,” Nesseth says.

Rotating to a non-host crop like soybeans is the best way to derail increasingly heavy CRW populations. When scouting shows very high pressure, it’s time to rotate from continuous corn, O’Brien says.

“It is difficult for any CRW technologies to stand up to extreme, high-pressure situations,” he says. “We must rotate to maximize yield potential and protect the CRW management tools we have.”

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It’s no secret that farmland values have been on a tear in recent years. Fueled by low interest rates and strong farm profitability, the most frequent question has been, “how much higher?” With many data sources and variations across states and regions, it’s helpful to step back and consider the trends.

The graph below shows the value of U.S. cropland since 2000. Over the 22-year period, values increased from $1,460 to $5,050 per acre. This is equal to an average annual rate of increase of 5.5%.

Over the last year, these values jumped 14.3%. That kind of jump happens periodically when you look across the last 22 years.

Historically, cropland has experienced short periods of big gains, followed by years of smaller changes. This is to say, the average annual gains of 5.5% are rarely observed. Large gains in valuations were posted in 2004 — when values increased by more than 17% — and again between 2011 and 2013 when double-digit annual increases were sustained. Since 2000, values increased by more than 10% annually on seven occasions — or 32% of the time. On the other hand, land values increased by less than 5% annually twelve times — or 55% of observations.

A bar chart showing the difference in U.S. cropland values over the years
Data Source: NSDA NASS.
The average doesn’t tell the story well. U.S. cropland values jumped by double-digits seven times between 2000 and 2022, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released in August. The average gain over that span is 5.5%.

Big Variations Since 2010

The second graph shows the change in cropland values at the state level since 2010. First, keep in mind that a 100% increase means values doubled. Six states — those in the northern Great Plains and western Corn Belt — saw cropland values more than double. The largest gains occurred in North Dakota, up 180%. While one would expect considerable difference with county-level data, the average value of cropland in North Dakota increased from $840 per acre in 2010 to $2,350 in 2022. Large gains in cropland values were also observed throughout the Corn Belt, southern Plains and Delta region. It should be noted, however, that the “farmland boom” story varies across the United States. For example, cropland values in the Southwest, specifically Arizona and New Mexico, increased by less than 10% in total across the two decades. In these states, the total increase is what some states observed on an average, annualized basis.

Similarly, land values in the Southeast also were slow to increase. Why have farmland values increased so slowly in some regions? At a high level, it’s because farm economy expansion hasn’t impacted each commodity or region in the same way. In general, regions that were able to increase the production of profitable commodities, such as corn and soybeans, saw the largest gains in farmland values. A second consideration is regional challenges, such as water availability in the Southwest.

A map chart illustrating the change in cropland values by state from 2010 to 2022
Data Source: USDA NASS and AEI.ag calculations.
State-level changes in cropland values between 2010 to 2022 show values more than doubled in six states in the northern Great Plains and western Corn Belt. Across the country, the largest gains are in regions that were able to increase the production of profitable commodities, such as corn and soybeans.

Wrapping it Up

For many, the farmland boom since late 2020 builds on the gains of the last two decades. National-level data show that farmland posted small, modest increases in most years. However, there are a handful of years when large annual increases — greater than 10% — occur. The most recent data reveal the changes since 2021 are among those large gains.

Second, conditions vary significantly by region and state. Gains in the northern Great Plains were huge, while changes in the Southeast and Southwest were considerably less. Producers need to keep this in mind when sizing up how much local conditions have changed.

Lastly, news of higher farmland values is often met with excitement. This is because farmland accounts for a majority — around 80% — of the farm sector assets. In other words, a majority of farm assets are farmland. Additionally, farmland values tend to increase during times of strong profitability. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that higher farmland values are also reflective of higher costs of production through higher cash rents paid. It can also mean higher debt service obligations and lower rates of return for those looking to purchase new acreage.

While the farmland story has been largely positive in recent memory, the outlook will be dominated by uncertainty around rising costs of production, future commodity prices, and interest rates. At this point, a wide range of outcomes seems possible.

David and Brent are the co-founders of Ag Economic Insights (AEI.ag). Founded in 2014, AEI.ag helps improve producers, lenders, and agribusiness decision-making through 1) the free Weekly Insights blog, 2) the award-winning AEI.ag Presents podcast – featuring Escaping 1980 and Corn Saves America, and 3) the AEI Premium platform, which includes the Ag Forecast Network decision tool. Visit AEI.ag or email David (david@aei.ag) to learn more. Stay curious.

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“Crop scouting is hot and sweaty,” says Guy Collins, Ph.D., extension cotton specialist for North Carolina State University (NCSU). “You’re going to pull some very long hours, but it’s one of the greatest jobs I’ve ever had.”

Many who scout crops share this sentiment. Perhaps that’s because of the education scouting provides in selection pressure and pest management technologies, and also in accountability. “Scouting teaches you responsibility because you’ve got someone’s livelihood at stake based on your job performance,” Collins says.

What’s the Point?

Crop scouting is monitoring for anything that helps farmers manage crops more profitably and sustainably. Examples include looking for fertility issues, collecting plant measurements and checking for pests.

J.R. Bradley, Ph.D., professor emeritus at NCSU, suggests that scouting is closely tied to pesticide development because there is no need to scout if what’s found can’t be managed.

Scouting and integrated pest management strategies are intertwined. “Scouting to threshold” means monitoring pests and managing them when doing so is cheaper than letting them continue reducing yields. This leads to better on-farm economic outcomes for farmers, as well as more sustainable agronomic practices.

Scouting is dynamic: Pests, practices and prices change. North Carolina cotton fields provide a clear lesson on how scouting must evolve as pest resistance increases, emerging pests challenge historical management programs, and new crop protection technologies create ripples across the pest spectrum.

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We’re blessed with tools that help us get the insights we need more quickly. That efficiency hopefully creates more time for our families and personal lives.

Joe Ben Bogle Digital Ag Solutions Marketing Lead at Syngenta

One Principle, Many Crops

The boll weevil nearly destroyed the cotton industry in North Carolina. The pest was so destructive that cotton farmers made programmatic insecticide applications that required little scouting. In the 1980s, the boll weevil was eradicated thanks to researchers like Bradley and farmers like Marshall Grant, who was instrumental in getting The Boll Weevil Eradication Program established in North Carolina.

Once the frequent insecticide applications for boll weevil stopped, tobacco budworms and bollworms became the major cotton pests, and scouting to properly time insecticide applications for the worms became more important.

Years later, when farmers began planting Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) cotton, which produces proteins that are toxic to bollworm and tobacco budworm larvae, insecticide applications again declined and stink bugs and plant bugs became the new problem pests. “As more fields were planted with Bt cotton,” Collins says, “The way we managed bollworms changed and other pests became more of a problem.”

Such changes demanded new scouting techniques, both to detect the economically damaging pests and reset bollworm thresholds. Those techniques include checking different parts of a plant, as well as using various tools to gather data.

Those cotton lessons also apply in other crops, says Nick Groenenberg, independent pest control advisor and owner of Nick Groenenberg Agricultural Consulting. He scouts tomatoes, almonds, pistachios and cotton in California. “When pistachios were first introduced,” Groenenberg says, “We were told they had no pests, but through the years they’ve developed several. We’d never had a problem with aphids in cotton and 15 years after I started in the business, they became a problem. We just keep adjusting.”

It’s a Drone, It’s a Plane, It’s a Satellite

Luckily, as pests evolve so does scouting technology.

Joe Ben Bogle, digital ag solutions marketing lead for Syngenta, helps streamline monitoring strategies with digital ag platforms like Cropwise™ Imagery and Cropwise Protector. “We’re blessed with tools that help us get the insights we need more quickly,” Bogle says, “That efficiency hopefully creates more time for our families and personal lives.”

Bogle believes digital ag tools deliver value through offering efficiency and insight scouts can take into the field. Aerial imagery is one useful option. “Today we have access to satellite, airplane and drone imagery,” Bogle says. “They all have their pluses and minuses.”

Scouts essentially have three ways to gather aerial imagery:

  • Satellite imagery, the most scalable and autonomous, can collect data daily. But it doesn’t offer the best resolution and can’t always take photos at the most opportune time of day.
  • Airplane imagery provides higher resolution, but at higher cost with lower collection frequency.
  • Drones, the most adaptable, can gather high-altitude images for a picture of overall field health and perform near canopy-level flights for greater detail. But to use drones, the scout or farmer must invest time and money in meeting regulatory requirements and either buying equipment or contracting for the service.

By whichever path, aerial imagery provides information about which areas of the field are under stress and which are high-performing. That knowledge can inform scouting strategies such as where to enter fields and prioritize sampling — saving a few steps that quickly become miles in the hot summer sun.

Harvesting Data

Bogle believes digital ag systems are successful when they turn data into something actionable.

For example, Cropwise Imagery automatically reviews satellite images of fields and identifies whether field health is rising or falling. “If somebody has a couple hundred fields to look after,” Bogle says, “Showing which five are most at risk helps them prioritize.”

Cropwise Protector accounts for geography, crop and scouting preference. For instance, the program averages individual sweep net collections to field level and then color codes fields that have active issues and those below threshold. Cropwise Protector also includes a timeline for all past scouting events, effectively acting as a digital filing cabinet.

However, nothing replaces walking the fields.

“I think there will always be boots on the ground,” Groenenberg says, “But the more informed scouts are then the better job we can do.”

Bogle agrees.

“We’re looking to integrate more predictive models and help remind those in the field what might be a factor, not replace boots on the ground,” he says.

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In the next year, we will read and hear a lot more about the Farm Bill. Once passed, the legislation will impact how we raise food, fuel and fiber — and how much risk is involved in those enterprises.

While its name suggests it’s all about farmers, the expansive Farm Bill governs policy that includes farm income support, food assistance, conservation programs, trade and more. Its three main pillars are:While its name suggests it’s all about farmers, the expansive Farm Bill governs policy that includes farm income support, food assistance, conservation programs, trade and more. Its three main pillars are:

  • To help farmers survive the ups and downs of a risky business.
  • To feed the hungry.
  • To protect the environment.

The bill must be renewed on a regular basis — usually every five years — and is on the docket in 2023.

A Rich History

The first Farm Bill was created in 1933 as part of the New Deal. It provided subsidies to farmers during the Great Depression by paying them to stop producing seven main crops in the hopes of decreasing supply, and thus increasing prices, of those crops. The bill also contained provisions related to conservation and support for farmers suffering from the effects of the Dust Bowl.

While the core elements of early farm bills were farm support and conservation programs, a major change occurred in 1973 when Congress added food assistance programs. That change was authored by well-known senators Bob Dole (R-KS) and George McGovern (D-S.D.) — both from big ag states and both prominent supporters of anti-hunger programs.

The senators married these programs because they needed a way to sway urban lawmakers to support a bill that historically benefited rural America. In turn, expanding the Farm Bill encouraged rural lawmakers to support anti-hunger programs that were, at that time, used mostly by the urban poor like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps.

Nutrition programs, the largest of which is SNAP, comprise 84% of all mandatory spending in the Farm Bill today. The other biggest spending areas are crop insurance (6%), commodity programs (5%) and conservation programs (4%). The remaining 1% includes trade, rural development, research, forestry, energy, livestock and horticulture/organic agriculture.

The projected price tag for the next Farm Bill is $1.3 trillion over 10 years, a substantial increase over 2018’s projected cost of $860 billion over 10 years. If that comes to pass, it will mark the first time in history that a Farm Bill exceeded $1 trillion.

Today’s Priorities

Components of the Farm Bill change every time the bill is re-written, but usually in an evolutionary way rather than a revolutionary one. Today, the commodity programs provide specific forms of income assistance, without interfering with the market, and are compatible with our free trade goals and obligations under the World Trade Organization. Crops covered include corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and rice; dairy, peanut and sugar producers also have programs.

The primary ag risk management focus is taxpayer-subsidized crop insurance, a tool that farmers in all 50 states can use to cover up to 120 crops in the case of weather and financial disasters. Meanwhile, SNAP helps 41 million low-income Americans afford groceries, and the Women, Infant and Children’s program and school breakfast and lunch programs assist many more.

While the bill still funds conservation programs for land retirement programs like the Conservation Reserve Program, it gives much more emphasis on working lands programs designed to help protect the environment.

It’s much too early to know the outcome of the 2023 Farm Bill, but we do know some things that will affect those decisions:

  1. The midterm election in November 2022 could change party control in both chambers of Congress. With current polling suggesting Republicans will likely win back the House and possibly the Senate, control of the chambers’ agricultural committees could change. A shift in power could mean a major adjustment in what the bill funds, such as agriculture versus nutrition or sustainability policy. Geography will also play a role, with members of Congress from different regions of the country prioritizing different farm policies due to the key commodities in their respective states or districts.
  2. Most farm groups are already lobbying for more funding for the next Farm Bill’s safety net, arguing that the support prices are far too low given current high commodity prices. That funding won’t be easy to attain, but it’s not impossible. The overall funding amount in the new bill will largely determine if this one is evolutionary or revolutionary.
  3. Expect efforts to increase conservation funding to address sustainability and climate change. It will be important that any new conservation or sustainability programs are voluntary for farmers and equitable across regions and crops. It’s also key that farmers who already employ these practices are rewarded for early adoption and not left out of new programs.

The Farm Bill has considerable ramifications for farmer livelihoods, national food security and the environment. It’s been said that “if you aren’t at the table, you are on the menu.” Farmers and ranchers who are hungry for adequate risk management programs and environmental legislation that doesn’t limit on-farm economic sustainability need to be at the table.

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