Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists are wrapping up a 2-year study to determine the best combination of corn hybrids, planting dates and maturity to maintain yield and maximize water-use efficiency.

With the intense rains this past season, some areas of the state had considerable gully erosion cutting up the fields, bounced across and made visible at harvest time, especially in soybeans. Some occurred in hailed out fields where there was no crop canopy to absorb the energy of the falling rain.

As the strip-till industry continues to grow, our editorial staff is planning to grow as well. Lessiter Publications, an established niche publishing company based in Brookfield, Wis., is looking for an ambitious associate editor in its agricultural division.

For the second year, a national survey of farmers has documented a yield boost from the use of cover crops in corn and soybeans, as well as a wide variety of other benefits. The survey also details the challenges and benefits farmers expect from cover crops, data on the costs of seed and establishment, and insight into how farmers learn to manage covers.

Fall after harvest is an excellent time for soil sampling and testing. This year, with lower grain prices, many growers may be looking for places to cut costs. However, cutting back on soil testing could result in lowering profits.

It's very likely you've already completed the harvest season and are in the process of storing all the equipment in a proper place. One piece of equipment requires more attention than others when putting it in the storage place: the sprayer.

A coalition of major farm organizations and agriculture technology providers announced an agreement on data privacy and security principles.

In the near future, growers will have access to several new crop cultivars with resistance to a wider range of herbicides than has been available before. Here is a quick summary of these new crops and when they are expected to reach the market.

The USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) today announced that the new Whole-Farm Revenue Protection insurance policy is now available for the 2015 crop year. The policy allows producers to insure between 50-85% of their whole farm revenue and makes crop insurance more affordable for producers, including fruit and vegetable growers and organic farmers and ranchers.

Experts with the Weed Science Society of America say one often-ignored strategy for controlling herbicide-resistant weeds is now getting a second look. Farmers are finding success by ensuring that weed seeds remaining in the field at harvest time aren’t dispersed and left to sprout in subsequent growing seasons.