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Market tries to figure out value of corn

In a week like this, it’s more how we react to the news, not the news, says Don Roose, market analyst with U.S. Commodities in Des Moines.

“It’s a key week,” he says.

It’s when the trade hears what real people in the field are saying as the Pro Farmer Crop Tour begins. They visit many of the same fields year after year, so it’s important how this year compares to other years — more important than how this year compares to USDA numbers, Roose says.

There’s more respect for the seasonality of approaching harvest right now than the supply. There is usually a setback in conditions as the crops reach maturity. The heat will likely take a real toll on northeast Iowa, Minnesota and variable areas, he said.

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Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday



Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.