Dan Crummett

Cover Crops as a Tool to Fight Weeds

While cover crops are useful for suppressing weeds, research finds they don’t stand alone as a tactic in the long-term fight against herbicide resistance

By Dan Crummett posted on January 23, 2025 | Posted in Cover Crops, Crop Protection

While the USDA estimates only about 10% of U.S. cropland is being managed with cover crops for various soil health and weed suppression reasons, recent research across the Corn Belt shows over-wintering cereal crop covers can significantly reduce weed biomass.

Syngenta Provides Third Rail for Corn Rootworm Control

By Dan Crummett posted on January 20, 2025 | Posted in Crop Protection

New tool to boost the efficiency of inserting desirable traits into corn hybrids is key to field successes seen with a proprietary 3 Bt-trait stack in heavy CRW fields.

Tillage On Display Supports Researcher’s Soil Erosion Estimates

By Dan Crummett posted on November 8, 2024 | Posted in Soil Health

Geologist says the effects of tillage should be incorporated into the USDA’s erosion estimates, so the agency's numbers might better align with the 57.6 billion metrictons of soil that the researchers estimate has been lost across the Midwest in the last 160 years.

Long-Term Studies Indicate ‘The More the Merrier’ in Crop Rotations

Studies spanning 60-years of data show farms are more resilient to the vagaries of markets, policy meddling and weather with more diverse crop rotations.

By Dan Crummett posted on October 27, 2024 | Posted in Soil Health

A recent report from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service has some interesting insights on the benefits of crop rotations, but researchers caution the “long view” is needed to fully capitalize on such improvements.

Ripping & Stripping Adds Yield Consistency to Farming in Clay

Longtime no-tillers switch to strip-till & systematic in-line ripping to improve crop performance in their corn, double-crop soybeans & wheat rotation on compacted soils.

By Dan Crummett posted on July 3, 2024 | Posted in Equipment, Nutrient Management, Seeding & Planting

Farming in tight, clay soils in northern Oklahoma where rains can be as fickle as a politician’s promise has made the Schnaithman family confirmed strip-tillers for their corn and soybeans. They’ll be the first to tell you that the Southern Plains are NOT the Corn Belt.

Retaining High Strip-Till Yield by Protecting Variable Soils

Achieving 80-plus bushel soybeans and 260-plus bushel corn isn’t an accident for Illinois strip-tiller John Potter who leverages cover crops, timely fertilizer applications and a strategic equipment mix to succeed solo on 1,250 acres.

By Dan Crummett posted on June 4, 2024 | Posted in Cover Crops, Equipment

John Potter was looking for a way to reduce labor on his west central Illinois farm when he decided to become a strip-tiller nearly 20 years ago.

Treat Soil Samples Right for More Accurate Fertilizer Prescriptions

Studies show storage of soil samples & sample bag type affect soil health test results

By Dan Crummett posted on May 24, 2024 | Posted in Soil Health

How soil samples are treated after they leave the field can have dramatic effects on soil test accuracy, according to studies in Oklahoma and Kansas.

Stretching Strip-Till Value with Crop Diversity, Cover Crop Height

A quarter-century of strip-till for Georgia grower Barry Martin complements shoulder-high cereal rye cover crops in peanuts and cotton to reduce erosion, boost organic matter and simplify planting.

By Dan Crummett posted on May 9, 2024 | Posted in Cover Crops, Soil Health

Barry Martin was completely convinced of the benefits of a heavy cereal rye cover crop on his cotton and peanut farm near Hawkinsville in central Georgia long before cover crops were the rage.

Cashing in on Low-Carbon Corn: 7 Takeaways from Updated GREET Model

By Dan Crummett and Noah Newman posted on May 6, 2024 | Posted in Cover Crops, Soil Health

“This is one of today’s biggest opportunities in conservation ag,” Mitchell Hora says. “The folks with data — the agronomist, the team around each farmer — we all need to be working together with the folks at the biofuel facility to go after these credits together.

Change to FAA Regulation Allows 1 Operator to Fly 3 Sprayer Drones

FFA regulation exemption for U.S.-based drone maker allows 1 person to operate 3 drones in a swarm, a 3-fold increase in productivity

By Dan Crummett posted on March 28, 2024 | Posted in Precision Agriculture

The FAA recently granted Texas-based drone manufacturer Hylio a regulatory exemption that allows 1 operator to simultaneously pilot 3 heavy-lift drones instead of requiring an operator and observer per 1 drone over 55 pounds.

Articles by Dan Crummett

Cover Crops as a Tool to Fight Weeds

Syngenta Provides Third Rail for Corn Rootworm Control

Tillage On Display Supports Researcher’s Soil Erosion Estimates

Long-Term Studies Indicate ‘The More the Merrier’ in Crop Rotations

Ripping & Stripping Adds Yield Consistency to Farming in Clay

Retaining High Strip-Till Yield by Protecting Variable Soils

Treat Soil Samples Right for More Accurate Fertilizer Prescriptions

Stretching Strip-Till Value with Crop Diversity, Cover Crop Height

Cashing in on Low-Carbon Corn: 7 Takeaways from Updated GREET Model

Change to FAA Regulation Allows 1 Operator to Fly 3 Sprayer Drones

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