With more than two decades of experience using the System on his own farm, including a journey of stepping away and returning, Jim Yule brings valuable insight to the farmers he works with.

Tar spot continues to expand across the Corn Belt, with most infestation reports coming from fields planted to continuous corn and/or...

Due to major flooding over the last week in Indiana and other areas of the Corn Belt, many fields have had most of last season’s crop...

As planting season approaches, every farmer – including myself – has a list of improvements they want to make. At the top of that list...

With an average annual rainfall of just ten inches, maintaining air-water balance in the soil is essential for farming success in northwest Montana. Jerry Philipps, a forward-thinking farmer from Conrad, Montana, has long been ahead of the curve. He adopted no-till farming in 1982 and later implemented the Maximum Farming System in 2007. A decade into using the System, Jerry participated in a government EQIP cover crop study that involved frequent soil testing. The study org

In Southern Illinois, the Wiegmann family runs a true generational farm, committed to building healthier soil for the future. For more...

In farming, longevity has many meanings – longevity of nutrient availability, longevity of soil balance, and longevity of the overall farm operation. The Maximum Farming System powered by Ag Spectrum, along with its team of in-field implementation experts, provides insights, research, and a real-life approach to achieve long-lasting success. Located in the thumb of Michigan, one Ag Spectrum Associate has been promoting and utilizing the System on his own farm for 30 years. St

Additions of lime and/or gypsum can improve most soils because these calcium products neutralize soil acidity (e.g., when soil pH tests below 6.2) and improve soil porosity and organic matter stabilization. Overall, this improves soil health by improving soil air and water balance. Calcium plays an important role in maintaining soil structure, porosity, and an optimal balance of air and water. With its larger atomic radius, it occupies more space and retains water less strong

Nitrate nitrogen in the plant tissue by V6 determines kernels long. Watch as Delk Crosier, Maximum Farming Implementation Consultant, explains how ear tip configuration is tied to nitrate accumulation.

Tar spot is ever-expanding across the Corn Belt, and infestation reports are mostly coming in from fields planted to continuous corn and/or irrigated corn. While the risk of economic losses to the disease is quite real, good soil health and supplementary plant nutrition can go a long way to keeping the disease damage to a minimum. A standard preventative fungicide program will typically limit tar spot disease and can be mixed Ag Spectrum’s foliar nutrition program of PT-21®/S

As an essential component of photosynthesis, water helps drive plant growth. Plant roots typically grow downward and outward to access water and dissolved nutrients from the soil. But, soil water availability and quality in the root zone varies by location, soil type, topography, and precipitation. In places where rainfall is low during the growing season, farmers will irrigate using available water sources to promote crop growth. To be successful with water management, thoug

The goal of all Ag Spectrum independent sales representatives is to help farmers maximize return for every unit produced. Albion, Illinois’ Chad Heindselman is no exception. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in agronomy from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Chad worked at a co-op and later in seed production until he began his Maximum Farming System dealership in June of 2022. “Ag Spectrum piqued my interest because of their commitment to helping farmers produce cro

Years with lower corn prices lead to many farmers making soybeans a bigger part of their crop plan. The Maximum Farming System® can help make the most of such changes and provide optimal fertilizer management, which varies by crop. For example, corn benefits dramatically from in-furrow fertilization that provides sufficient levels of tissue phosphorus during early growth stages to maximize kernel number. And, beyond providing balanced early nutrition and foliar fertilization

Each year the same issues appear across the country. Whether an issue is seen at emergence or while inspecting the success of a foliar program later in the season, many of these problems can be traced back to unforced and avoidable errors at planting. Soil, not the calendar, drives planting decisions. While we understand the excitement of spring, planting into wet, cold soils can be detrimental and lead to disappointment at harvest. Waiting an extra day or two for dry soil c

Carbon Intensity (CI) scoring measures a farmer’s carbon footprint, and it accounts for factors like cash crop productivity, minimal tillage, and cover crops to build soil carbon stocks. Like it or not, knowing CI scores and how to improve them has never been as important as now looking toward future market opportunities. Soon, farmers who deliver corn to ethanol plants may be required to know their CI scores due to the 45Z tax credit included in the Inflation Reduction Act. 

Cold germination tests are performed on all seed lots as a part of quality control, but these results are rarely publicly available. When they are provided, comparisons across companies lack validity because no standardized test procedure is legally recognized. Each company has its own unique processes and minimum standards that change with the range of results. Suppliers seek a balance between the goals of providing quality and maintaining adequate supply to their customers.

Garrett Riekhof, owner of GR Farms in Higginsville, MO, implemented the Maximum Farming System® after suspecting he was wasting dollars...

Hilltop Acres Farm is an eighth-generation Brown Swiss dairy farm set in the rolling hills of Calmar, IA. They have been utilizing the...

Timing of nutrition for winter wheat can make or break a crop.   In this interview, Ag Spectrum Farm Manager Consultant Pat Tomlinson and Research & Teaching Agronomist Dr. Jim Smart discuss how the Maximum Farming System stimulates tiller growth as wheat comes out of dormancy.

Even though nutrients are labeled as micronutrients, secondary nutrients, and macronutrients, they are all subcategories within the group of recognized essential elements for plant growth. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are not more essential than zinc, boron, manganese, iron, et cetera. They are all essential, just required in different amounts at different times. When thought about in that way, it is hard to rationalize how the conventional approach to soil fertility t