Each year, The Fertilizer Institute recognizes 4R Advocates, five pairs of retailers and farmers who are making 4R Nutrient Stewardship a priority in their operations. These partners get it, 4R Farming makes sense economically and environmentally. And that’s why The Fertilizer Institute is highlighting their work.  Double J Farms near Headland, Alabama, is one of those five. Double J Farms ... Read More »

The Seam, which provides food and agribusiness software and commodity trading products, recently entered into multi-year agreements for its cloud-based peanut management platform with Coastal Growers and Tifton Peanut Co. Coastal Growers, a farmer-owned cooperative, is building a new 400,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art peanut shelling operation in Atmore, Alabama, slated for completion in 2022. State officials said the $87 million project will ... Read More »

The Environmental Protection Agency has registered AZterknot fungicide from Vive Crop Protection for use on a wide array of crops, including corn, cotton, peanuts, rice and soybeans.  It is a premix of a traditional fungicide, azoxystrobin, and a biological, an extract of Reynoutria sachalinensis. They are delivered using Allosperse, a proprietary nano-polymer technology developed by Vive that allows previously incompatible products to ... Read More »

The Georgia Peanut Commission’s referendum received reaffirmation with a vote of 94.43%, the highest the commission has received in its nearly 60-year existence. The 2021 referendum was held March 15 through April 16. “I am thankful our board and staff have been able to work in the areas of research, promotion and education of peanuts, as well as support efforts ... Read More »

Rainfall, though oftentimes welcome, was a consistent issue for peanut producers during the 2020 growing season. Continuous moisture hindered timely harvest and put a damper on a year with many challenges in the field. However, according to Kris Balkcom, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System peanut specialist, the 2021 growing season is already off on a better foot. Seed quality “We ... Read More »

• By Stanley Culpepper and Taylor Randell • Research over the past three seasons has confirmed a Georgia population of Palmer amaranth to be resistant to topical applications of PPO herbicides including Reflex, Cobra and Blazer (Figure 1). For cotton and peanut farmers, the question on everyone’s mind is if the residual activity of Valor and Reflex will still control ... Read More »

Parasitic nematodes cause $125 billion in agricultural damage around the world each year, but University of Florida scientists hope to alleviate some of that destruction. To do so, UF researchers will use artificial intelligence to try to more rapidly identify nematodes. Some nematodes live in the ground and harm plants, while others are beneficial, so it is important to distinguish ... Read More »

Free-ranging populations of feral swine — also known as feral hogs, wild boar or wild pigs — can now be found throughout most of Alabama. Feral swine usually cause significant amounts of damage to agricultural crops, food plots, pastures and a myriad of other natural resources. Mark Smith, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System wildlife specialist, said although wild pigs allow ... Read More »

• By Ryan McGeeney • As world markets slowly unfurl from the global knot of the COVID-19 pandemic, futures markets for both soybean and corn responded in a powerfully positive manner March 31 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual Prospective Plantings Report. The report, conducted by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, reflects producers’ intended acreage for crops across ... Read More »

Planting into a weed-free field, applying residual herbicides and knocking back that first weed flush reduces competition and yield loss. • By Amanda Huber • A big part of getting the crop off to a good start is managing weeds. The key is planting into a clean field and then applying preemergence herbicides as quickly as possible behind the planter. ... Read More »