The cost to produce an acre of corn in central Illinois in 2012 is pegged at $832 an acre, based on a study of more than 600 on-farm records.
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EPA asked to stop pesticide linked to bee deaths
Commercial beekeepers and environmental organizations filed an emergency legal petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to suspend use of a pesticide that is linked to honey bee deaths, urging the agency to adopt safeguards.
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Illinois farmland values continue upward spiral
The prices being paid for farmland across Illinois continue their upward spiral with the tops being in the $10,000 to $13,000 per acre range across the state.
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Winfield Solutions debuts Web-based decision tool
To help retail agronomists develop personalized recommendations for growers, Winfield Solutions has introduced the R7 Tool — a Web-based platform that provides retailers with seven factors of vital field performance information.
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Update released to Mix Tank app
Precision Laboratories announced the release and immediate availability of a major update to its smartphone app. Mix Tank 2.0 is now available for Android devices and iPhones, free of charge.
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'Insurance' rather than IPM the norm
Insurance pest management, rather than integrated pest management, is becoming an increasingly common form of IPM in commercial corn and soybean fields.
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Field history plays important role
Successfully controlling yield-limiting crop diseases comes down to analyzing field history and making the right management decisions for individual fields, says a Purdue Extension plant pathologist.
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Purdue funds Z-Trap electronic insect monitoring
The Spensa Technologies company has earned an $80,000 investment from the Emerging Innovations Fund, which was established in 2008 to help move research discoveries from Purdue University to the market.
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Has ethanol lost its license to drive corn market?
In the initial depths of the recession, agriculture was performing well, thanks to the demand for grain, and in particular for corn because of the demand for ethanol.
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Supreme Court sides with landowners against EPA
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court agreed that an Idaho couple can sue to challenge a federal compliance order under the Clean Water Act that stopped construction of a home five years ago.
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BIG PICTURE
By Doane Economist
Planting may occur earlier than normal this year due to unseasonably warm, dry weather. Some of this planting may occur before the earliest planting date included in the COMBO policy, a crop insurance policy providing farm-level protection. Those acres planted before the earliest planting dates are not eligible for replant payments. Insurance guarantees will exist for crops planted before the earliest planting date given that good farming practices are followed.