Wednesday August 20 Ag News - Pro Farmer Crop Tour NE/IN results - NE Extension programs on SGM, Crop Prod, Soil Health - Farm Tech Report - and more!

Pro Farmer Crop Tour - Day 2 Results

Nebraska Corn Yield - 179.5 bu/acre - '24 173.25 bu/acre - 3 YA 166.33 bu/acre
Nebraska Soybean Pod Counts - 1348 3x3 square - '24 1172 - 3YA 1132

Indiana Corn Yield - 193.8 bu/acre - '24 187.5 bu/acre - 3YA 182 bu/acre 
Indiana Soybean Pod Counts - 1367.5 3x3 square - '24 1409  - 3YA 1294

Day 3 of the Western leg of the crop tour will travel western Iowa in crop reporting districts one, four, and seven, with the results presented Wednesday evening in Spencer, Iowa.  The eastern leg of the crop tour will travel from Bloomington, Illinois to Iowa City, Iowa.  Day 4 results from Iowa and Minnesota will be presented in Rochester, Minnesota on Thursday evening.  Final Pro Farmer crop yield estimates will be released shortly after the markets close on Friday afternoon.  



NE Extension Hosts SGM Tailgate Meeting

Nebraska Extension in Colfax County is hosting a "tailgate" meeting near the soybean gall midge research plot by Leigh.  

NE Extension Crop Protection and Cropping Systems Specialist Justin McMechan and the SGM team will give a field trial update on Monday August 25th, 4pm near Leigh.  The field is located at the intersection (or about 0.25 miles east) of County Road N and County Road 6. 

If you'd like to get more details, contact NE Extension Educator T.J. Prochaska at 402-352-3821.  



Nebraska Extension - Crop Production and Soil Health Clinic

Nebraska Extension is pleased to bring you the Crop Production and Soil Health Clinic at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension, and Education Center on August 28th.

This day will feature a dual track format, with two tents featuring presentations throughout the day with participants able to pick and choose which talk they want to attend each hour.

These presentations will feature in-the-field, hands-on sessions that will center around two tracks:

Innovative practices for those interested in regenerative, sustainable farming. 
·  Soil health tools & data: Practical assessment and interpretation – Caro Córdova, Statewide Soil Health Specialist
·  Innovations in mechanical weed control – Farmer and industry reps
·  Biochar effects on soil fertility and crop yields – Britt Fossum and Michael Kaiser
·  Beyond cereal rye: Summer annuals as cover crops – Katja Koehler-Cole, Water and Cropping Systems Extension Educator

Topics related to corn and soybean production to close out the 2025 growing season. 
·  Corn and soybean growth: What have we seen in 2025 – Jenny Brhel and Aaron Nygren, Water and Cropping Systems Extension Educators
·  Plant pathology updates – Amy Timmerman and Talon Mues, Water and Cropping Systems Extension Educators
·  Optimizing irrigation for maximum water use efficiency – Bruno Lena, Water and Cropping Systems Extension Educator
·  Insect management: Soybean gall midge, dectes stem borer, wheat stem maggot, and pill bugs – Justin McMechan, Crop Protection and Cropping Systems Specialist, and Matheus Ribeiro, Water and Cropping Systems Extension Educator
·  Nitrogen management and the 4Rs – Javed Iqbal, Nutrient Management and Water Quality Specialist
·  Weed science – Stevan Knezevic, Integrated Weed Management Specialist

A total of 6 CCA credits will be available to participants, areas will depend on which talks participants attend with Soil and Water, Crop Management, Nutrient Management, and Pest Management available.

Please register by clicking on this link: https://go.unl.edu/cmdc25 or scanning the below QR code.

For those needing no CCA credits, there is a $35 registration fee to attend, which includes training, lunch, and reference materials. For those needing CCA credits, there is a $75 registration fee to attend. 



KERNEL PROCESSING FOR QUALITY CORN SILAGE 
- Ben Beckman, NE Extension Educator 

High value silage depends on maintaining chop quality throughout harvest. Do you know how to reliably monitor your silage quality?

Energy from corn silage comes in a large part from starch in the grain itself. After consuming however, the outer seed coat impedes starch digestion.  To counter act this, many modern choppers are fitted with a kernel processor, that physically crushes or damages the grain and stalks, improving digestibility.  Correctly setting these rollers is critical.  Too close and machine ware increases, too far apart and they kernels aren’t broken and digestibility is decreased.  

To achieve high quality silage, catching any problems with the processor as soon as possible is critical. To do this, grab a 32 oz. cup and at least once an hour during harvest, grab a sample from the pile.  

Next spread the sample out on a flat surface like a card table near the pile and go through the kernels.  Count all the kernels that are ½ or greater in size. You can also put the sample into a bucket of water.  The kernels will sink to the bottom and stalks and leaves will float.  Skim/drain off the top layer and again count any kernels that are ½ or greater in size.

For both methods, the goal is to have 2 or fewer whole or ½ size kernels in your count.  Anything over that and word can be passed to the chopper to adjust the processing.

For those who don’t have access to a kernel processer, keeping chop length short can help accomplish similar results.  Shortening chop length to 3/8 inch for machines without a processor will do more kernel damage and maintain similar fiber particle size.  For those who’s priority is not particle size, mostly beef producers, dropping down to ½ inch chop length will damage even more kernels and provide the additional benefit of helping get a better pack.



I-29 Moo University Beef On Dairy Dialogue Webinar On August 28 To Focus on BXD Market Outlook: Implications of Herd Rebuilding

The I-29 Moo University Beef On Dairy Dialogue Webinar Series continues Thursday, August 28 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. CDT. Dr. Peel, with Oklahoma State University, will cover the current cattle supply and demand fundamentals and expectations for prices, production and cattle inventories for 2025 and beyond. 

Derrell Peel is the Charles Breedlove Professor of Agribusiness in the Department of Agricultural Economics. He has served as the Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist since he came to Oklahoma State University in 1989. He has B.S. and M.S. degrees from Montana State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. He previously served as the Superintendent of the Southeastern Colorado Range Research Station in Springfield Colorado.  His main program areas at Oklahoma State University include livestock market outlook and marketing/risk management education for livestock producers. 

Derrell also works in the area of international livestock and meat trade with particular focus on Mexico and Canada and the North American livestock and meat industry. He lived in Mexico on sabbatical in 2001 and has developed an extensive knowledge of the Mexican cattle and beef industry and the economics of cattle and beef trade between the U.S. and Mexico.

There is no fee to participate in the webinar; however, registration is required at least one hour prior to the webinar. Register online at: https://go.iastate.edu/HERDREBUILDING. 

For more information; in Iowa contact, Fred M. Hall, 712-737-4230; in Minnesota contact, Jim Salfer, 320-203-6093; or in South Dakota contact, Madison Kovarna, 605-688-4116.



Farm Technology Use and Ownership Highlights

Nationally, 85 percent of farms reported having access to the internet. In 2025, 50 percent of farms used the internet to purchase agricultural inputs, which was an increase of 18 percent from 2023. Additionally, 29 percent of farms used the internet to market agricultural activities, which was an increase of 6 percent from 2023. Farms which conducted business with non-agricultural websites in 2025 decreased by 4 percent to 45 percent.  

In 2025, 55 percent of farms utilized a broadband connection to access the internet while 74 percent of farms had access to the internet through a cellular data plan. Additionally, 68 percent of farms had a desktop or laptop computer while 82 percent of farms had a smart phone. 

           Use:          Computer - Smart Phone - Tablet - Other Computer
Nebraska .......:        69                  85                  39                   2         
Iowa .............:        72                  84                  40                   5         

Internet Access
Nebraska ........:       87           
Iowa ..............:        87           

Method of Internet Access
                           Dial up - Broadband - Cellular - Satellite - Other 
Nebraska ...:         5                  54             74             28             1        
Iowa .........:         4                  61              75             25             2        

Use of Precision Agriculture tools for Crops or Livestock
                                            2023     -     2025  
Nebraska ...............:               55                41                     
Iowa .....................:                54                42                     



RFA Supports U.S. Investigation of ‘Punitive’ Brazil Trade Practices

Brazil’s punitive ethanol tariff regime and restrictive regulations demonstrate that the country is clearly not committed to fair and reciprocal trade in ethanol, the Renewable Fuels Association said in comments sent Monday evening to the U.S. Trade Representative, which is investigating Brazil’s trade practices.

“Brazil’s tariff rates have no doubt had a demonstrable impact on U.S. ethanol exports,” wrote RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper. “While Brazil was once the top export market for U.S. ethanol, the imposition of tariffs (without a duty-free quota) in recent years has essentially closed the market. To make matters worse, while U.S. ethanol faces a significant 18 percent import duty, Brazilian ethanol enters the U.S. market with just a 2.5 percent ad valorem duty, granting Brazilian producers preferential access and market competitiveness in America.”

As a result of Brazil’s volatile application of tariff rates in recent years, U.S. fuel ethanol exports to Brazil fell to zero in 2023 and just $43 million in 2024. In 2024, exports to Brazil accounted for just 1.3 percent of total U.S. ethanol exports, after accounting for approximately one-third of total U.S. exports as recently as 2018.