by Ken Cassman | Nov 26, 2019 | AgriBusiness, Corn, Crop Yields, Nitrogen, Soybeans
How fast have crop yields been rising?Since the mid-1960s, average U.S. crop yields have been increasing. Corn yields have been increasing steadily at about 1.9 bu/ac per year. Soybean yields have increased as well, at about one third that rate. The slower rate of...
by Ken Cassman | Oct 3, 2019 | AgriBusiness, Commodities, Corn, Flooding, Nitrogen
Now termed the Great Flood of 1993, the flooding that occurred along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers in April and May of that year was epic. Covering nine states and 400,000 square miles, it was the most costly natural disaster ever in the U.S. at the time,...
by Ken Cassman | Sep 17, 2019 | AgriBusiness, Agriculture Technology, Commodities, Corn, Crop Yields, Nitrogen
Corn production is a topic on everyone’s mind these days, and the big question is: when will the first freeze put an end to the 2019 growing season? The map below shows the first freeze possible in the Upper Midwest on September 29, which is later than the 30-year...
by Ken Cassman | Jul 1, 2019 | Corn, Crop Forecasting, Flooding, Nitrogen
Fertilizer is essential for successful crops; the nitrogen in fertilizer is a basic building block of plant growth and yield.The critical importance of nitrogenSince development of the Haber-Bosch process in 1914, increased use of nitrogen fertilizer has contributed...
