debugging field crop production

Weed science colleagues at the University of Nebraska have initiated a research project designed to assess perspectives on precision weed management technologies. To facilitate this research, Dr. Amit Jhala and his graduate student (Ankit Yadave) designed a survey to better understand Midwest growers’ perspectives on precision agriculture technologies, non-chemical weed control methods, and the current state of conventional weed management. Earlier this fall, they published the following information about the survey in the University of Nebraska CROPWATCH and have asked for our assistance in obtaining survey responses from Illinois farmers and applicators.…

The following is a summary of the WILLAg.org content from the work week ending October 30, 2026. WILLAg.org is a partnership of Illinois Public Media and University of Illinois Extension. Its mission is to distribute regionally, nationally, and internationally information and analysis of agricultural markets, research, and weather. Agricultural Markets Synthesis The week’s commodity trade across the Closing Market Report broadcasts and the Commodity Week panel reflected broad seasonal and fund-driven weakness,…

The following is a summary of the WILLAg.org content from the work week ending October 23, 2026. WILLAg.org is a partnership of Illinois Public Media and University of Illinois Extension. Its mission is to distribute regionally, nationally, and internationally information and analysis of agricultural markets, research, and weather. Agricultural Markets Synthesis Heavy managed money fund liquidation and harvest pressure weighed on corn and soybean prices throughout the week, though strong export data eventually provided a market floor.…

Summary Fusarium neocosmosporiellum (the fungus associated with Neocosmospora stem rot) has been confirmed on soybean plants from Clay County, Illinois by the University of Illinois Plant Clinic. This pathogen has been previously identified in the southern United States on soybean and peanut. The effect on yield loss in the field is unknown. Plants colonized by this fungus can easily be confused with red crown rot due to the similar foliar symptoms (interveinal yellowing and browning of the leaf tissue) and similar signs (small,…