Mark Yaeger knows that everyone is ready for their first taste of locally grown sweet corn in July but they will have to wait until August.
This year’s wet and cooler spring weather has delayed sweet corn production by about one month. In a “normal” year sweet corn is tasseling by ...
Something flying low and loud is zooming through the sky close by. By the time you run outside to see what it is, the noise is fading in the distance. Shading your eyes from the sun, you squint towards the sound. There it is! It’s a small yellow plane, flying ...
Planting Comparisons
On average, most ALL corn and soybeans have been planted by the first of June in Illinois. Not this year.
Due to the wettest May on record, farmers struggled to get their crops planted.
45% of corn and 21% of soybeans were planted by June 2 in Illinois.
Source: USDA, National Agricultural ...
Glyphosate in my cereal?
What is glyphosate?
It is a herbicide also known by the trade name Roundup that is commonly used on farms and lawns to control weeds.
Should I be concerned about glyphosate in my cereal?
No major international regulatory body considers glyphosate a health risk. The International Agency for Research on ...
Since the advent of mechanized crop production, farmers have needed a way to plant straight, even rows. Crooked rows are more difficult to spray and harvest. Uneven rows that overlap or skip are an inefficient use of seed. And frankly, crooked or uneven rows are obvious from the roadside and ...
Farmers plant treated corn and soybean seeds to protect the seeds against early season
pests and diseases.
Insect pests can harm crops in the early stages of emergence, by damaging young plants and by acting as vectors of viruses. Seed treatments can provide protection from these above-and below-ground insects.
Fungal diseases can ...
It’s planting season! DeKalb County farmers are busy planting field corn and soybeans using modern technology.
The first mechanical planters became popular in the 1940s but could only plant two rows at a time. Today’s modern planters are more efficient and typically plant 16 or 24 rows at a time.
1943: 2-row planter plants ...
DeKalb County Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom (AITC) program in February is the widest-reaching program impacting elementary students and teachers with agricultural lessons presented by a core group of farm, agribusiness and FFA volunteers.
In summary:
Nearly 3,300 first through fourth grade students participated in ag lessons.
24 elementary schools ...
What will food labels tell me about the hormones used in the meat I buy?
Hormones in animals occur naturally, even when raised organically. All animal products contain some hormones.
Consumers looking for milk and beef raised without the benefit of supplemental hormones need only to look at their food labels. Conventional ...
You’ve probably visited a greenhouse in the spring or summer when the weather is warm and the sunny space is full of colorful blooms. Is anything happening in those buildings when it is cold outside?
Some greenhouses are in operation year-round, especially those used to produce plants kept indoors, such as ...
