A new publication on Palmer amaranth, one of the most aggressive weeds to compete with crops, is now available for free through Purdue Extension's The Education Store. Palmer Amaranth Biology, Identification and Management was created by Purdue Extension weed scientists Bill Johnson and Travis Legleiter in an effort to curb the weed's expansion to the northern U.S.

Take Precautions when Applying UAN and Residual Herbicides on Emerged Corn, says the University of Nebraska.

American wheat farmers and a food safety advocacy group filed a lawsuit Thursday against biotech seed developer Monsanto Co, accusing the company of failing to protect the U.S. wheat market from contamination by its unauthorized wheat.

Recently, pesticide spray drift from different pesticide applications caused damage to field corn on a bordering farm, vegetables in an adjacent backyard, trees and bushes in a nearby state park and vegetation on an adjoining campus. In all cases, the applicators were fined because they had not taken the necessary precautions to avoid drift.

This spring's cool, wet weather is making difficult for Iowa farmers to plant their soybeans and making it easier for a well-known pest to affect this year's crop. Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), a soil-borne fungus, is a disease that is highly dependent on the weather and the resistance level of the planted soybean varieties.

McConnel might be best known for its hedge and verge kit, but the Shropshire firm is now trying its hand at seed drills with the launch of its strip-till Seedaerator at this year's Cereals event.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service's Conservation Stewardship Program will provide about $175 million in funding for up to 12.6 million additional acres enrollment this year. Although applications are accepted all year, farmers, ranchers and forestland owners interested in CSP should submit applications by June 14 to their local NRCS office to ensure they are considered for this year's funding. The deadline was extended from May 31.

Monsanto Co is hosting a "Bee Summit." Bayer AG is breaking ground on a "Bee Care Center." And Sygenta AG is funding grants for research into the accelerating demise of honeybees in the United States, where the insects pollinate fruits and vegetables that make up roughly a quarter of the American diet.

This planting season, more than 150 farmers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota are trialing the first offering from Monsanto's Integrated Farming Systems (IFS) research platform - FieldScripts. FieldScripts will be planted on more than 8,300 acres in Illinois alone.

Orthman Manufacturing has added two new members to its growing dealer support network. Kyle Frazier is a regional product specialist for the Midwest, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Wisconsin; Paul Hartness has been named territory manager for North and South Dakota and Minnesota.