The latest Crop Progress report from USDA shows a small improvement in the condition of both corn and soybean crops as of Aug. 25. But, as expected, both remain significantly behind both last year's and the 5 year average when it comes to pace of development.

The 50-year-old owner and CEO of Exapta Solutions, and former No-till on the Plains board member, was a well-known no-till educator and consultant across the Great Plains and the entire U.S.

Some farm leases are not written, but are verbal or "handshake" agreements. Because nothing is in writing, the parties may have different recollections of their agreement, making lease disputes more difficult to resolve. The most common legal issue associated with verbal farm leases is how a lease may legally be terminated. Find out more about how to handle this sticky situation in this article from University of Nebraska Extension.

There was very little change in the overall condition of this year’s corn and soybean crop during the past week, but both continue to lag crop conditions at this point a year ago, according to USDA’s Aug. 19 Crop Progress report.

In this episode of the Strip-Till Farmer podcast, brought to you by Topcon Agriculture, we share excerpts from my conversation with Nathan Ensby and Trent Stainlay, both from New South Wales, Australia, on the scope of strip-till in Australia, along with some of the adoption hurdles and greatest opportunities for expansion.

Together, farmers can accomplish change, says David Legvold, strip-tiller from Northfield, Minn. A visible advocate and willing mentor, he shares some of the secrets to starting out in strip-till with Dundas, Minn., farmer John Becker, whom Legvold advised during his first year in the practice.

Northfield, Minn., strip-tiller David Legvold recalls his first impressions of strip-till and how he embraced the systematic approach to berm-building and targeted fertilizer placement as a pathway to improving soil health and crop consistency.

USDA reports that, as of July 28, 58% of corn acres are silking. This up for 35% in the week prior, but far beyond the 90% a year earlier and the 5 year average of 83% for this date.

Here are the latest guidelines on cover crop termination from the NRCS — for crops planted in the 2020 crop year and later — for growers who are utilizing crop insurance.