Orthman Manufacturing today announced the appointment of William “Bobby� Loder as Customer / Dealer Product Support Manager. Loder will manage Orthman’s global service department and will oversee all aspects of technical support and training for the Orthman dealer network and end users.

Most producers would prefer to spread manure on their fields in spring and summer when the crops are going to get the most use out of it. Although the Department of Environmental Protection discourages winter manure application, there are circumstances when manure has to be applied in the winter, such as when wet fall weather kept field conditions unsuitable and the lack of a large enough storage structure to hold the manure until spring.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has extended the deadline for new enrollments in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for fiscal year 2014. Producers interested in participating in the program can submit applications to NRCS through Feb. 7, 2014.

Hybrid selection is one of the most important management decisions a corn grower makes each year. It's a decision that warrants a careful comparison of performance data.

Fertilizers are so well known to improve yield potential. Since WWII, farmers have applied commercial and/or organic products to grow crops.

Populations of European corn borer (ECB), a major corn crop pest, have declined significantly in the eastern United States, according to Penn State researchers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture opened the door Friday to commercial sales of corn and soybean seeds genetically engineered to resist the weed killer 2,4-D, which is best known as an ingredient in the Vietnam War-era herbicide Agent Orange.

There is widespread concern about potential sulfur (S) deficiencies in corn and soybeans in the North Central region. Sulfur is relatively immobile within the plant, so symptoms usually appear in the new growth. Atmospheric deposition used to supply a considerable amount of plant available S (about 8 to 15 pounds per acre annually), but with the implementation of the Clean Air Act, this amount has significantly decreased.

Beneath the snow now blanketing Michigan's corn fields lays a valuable but underused commodity: corn stover.

Once harvest comes to an end, some growers will shift their focus to strip-tillage. Fabian Fernandez, University of Illinois Extension specialist in plant nutrition and soil fertility, offers a few thoughts on applying nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium with strip-till this season.