Published on Jun. 20, 2025

The heat and sun over the next few days will send a lot of corn to tassel and will help younger corn reach rapid growth. All of the corn that had looked pale and yellow during those storms will reach a deep green color by Monday, June 23, 2025, as long as it has adequate nutrients and good roots.

Published on Jun. 13, 2025

The keys to high yield include variety selection, planting date, population, fertilizer and control of weeds and pests. Photosynthesis doesn’t make the list, but there is no yield without photosynthesis. High yield requires high photosynthesis. 

Published on Jun. 13, 2025

Note: This article was originally written for UK Economic and Policy Update Newsletter

Published on Jun. 13, 2025

The Kentucky Wheat Yield Contest has two major changes for 2025. The first change is a new harvest area size of 1.50 acres. The second change is the addition of Wheat Quality Awards. 

Published on Jun. 13, 2025

Meteorological spring officially came to a close at the end of May—and what a wet season it was! Following the second-wettest April on record, May continued the trend with consistent rainfall across the state.

Published on Jun. 13, 2025

As of the June 9, 2025 USDA Crop Progress Report, corn planting progress was only 88% which is 7 points behind the 5-year average of 95%.

Published on Jun. 12, 2025

Although current grain prices remain relatively low, the value of an average load delivered to elevators, feed/flour mills, distilleries, and other buyers amounts to several thousand dollars. 

Published on Jun. 9, 2025

During the last three weeks of May 2025, Western, Central, and Northern Kentucky experienced intense rainfall, high relative humidity, moist soils, low nighttime temperatures, and cloudy mornings. These environmental conditions are highly favorable for slug development in corn and soybean fields.

Published on May. 19, 2025

In October 2024, we received a report of a fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) outbreak in a wheat field in Daviess County, western Kentucky (Figure 1). After visiting the field, we collected 82 live caterpillars after the application of a pyrethroid insecticide.

Published on May. 19, 2025

The effect of management practices or stress on corn and soybean yields often depends upon when it happens. It’s not just how dry it is or how hot it is, but when it’s hot or dry. ‘When’ refers to what the crop is doing. As with most things in life – timing is all important.