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Field Notes Captures Corn Conversation With Kansas Farmeres Captures Corn Conversation With Kansas Farmer

 
This week, the National Corn Growers Association continued its seventh season of Field Notes, a series that takes readers behind the farm gate to follow the year in the life of American farm families. While these growers come from diverse geographic areas and run unique operations, they share a common love for U.S. agriculture and the basic values that underpin life in farming communities.
 
Field Notes caught up with Lowell Neitzel, who farms near Lawrence, Kansas.
 
“We have gotten some timely rains. We were getting dry for a while, but Mother Nature came through,” he explained. “We have been really appreciative of the weather that has come with those rains. The temperatures have stayed somewhat cool, which is good for pollination.
 
“Our corn is probably about 90 percent tasseled and starting to pollinate. So, we would really like cool temperatures that would help progress pollination and grow nice ears.”
 
To find out more, including what Neitzel expects from his crop in an average year, click here.
 
Stay tuned over the coming weeks as Field Notes follows the growers who have opened their farms, families and communities up this year and meet the true faces of modern American agriculture.
 

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Not only is corn getting sweatier, it's getting smarter

Video: Not only is corn getting sweatier, it's getting smarter


Over the past several weeks, much of the U.S. Midwest has experienced prolonged episodes of extreme heat, a trend also observed in other major corn-producing regions of North America such as eastern South Dakota, southern Ontario, and parts of Kansas and Missouri. These high-temperature events can place significant physiological stress on maize (Zea mays L.), which is cultivated on approximately 90 million acres across the United States, with leading production in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Like all maize, Bayer’s PRECEON™ Smart Corn System is subject to transpiration-driven water loss under high heat. However, this system incorporates agronomic traits designed to improve standability through enhanced stalk strength, thereby reducing lodging risk during stress conditions. Furthermore, the system supports precision agriculture practices by enabling more targeted fertilizer and crop protection applications. This approach not only helps to optimize input efficiency but also contributes to maintaining or increasing yield potential under variable environmental stresses such as heat waves, which are becoming more frequent in corn belt and fringe production regions.