Words and photos by Allison Jenkins

Prepare grain bins now for insect-free storage later

Ready when you are

Insects such as the lesser grain borer, rice weevil and flour beetle may only be about 3 millimeters long, but these small pests can cause big problems when it comes to storing harvested crops. Infestations can cause significant losses in both grain quality and quantity, literally eating into a grower’s profits.

The cost can be staggering. Kevin Daniel, manager of MFA Agri Services in Sedalia, Mo., saw the negative impact firsthand last fall when a customer brought in a load of corn heavily infested with weevils.

“It was so damaged that it wasn’t worth half the price,” Daniel said. “We didn’t want to mix it in with other customers’ corn and bring their quality down. It was quite an issue. If he’d just . . . .
Farm Bill listening session among events at Missouri State Fair

Missouri State Fair 2023

With the theme, “Where Traditions Grow,” the Missouri State Fair returns Aug. 10-20 to the historic fairgrounds in Sedalia, offering a complete lineup of livestock shows, agricultural exhibits, concerts, rodeo and bull riding, vendors, carnival and more.

This year, the fair will also serve as a sounding board for farmers who want to voice their thoughts on the 2023 Farm Bill, which expires in September. A listening session is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 14, at 10 a.m. in the Nucor Directors’ Pavilion at the fair. U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “G.T.” Thompson and Missouri Governor Mike Parson are among those expected to attend. Admission to the session is free, open to the public and does not require a fair ticket. The pavilion is located near the Centennial Gate along Highway 65.

MFA Incorporated continues to support the state fair with several types of sponsorships and participation. MFA booths, demonstrations, equipment and farm supply . . . .



MFA’s 2022 replicated trials identify top-performing MorCorn, MorSoy seed

Plotting for success

The 2022 growing season is nearly a year behind us, but its challenges have not escaped memory. While the year was drier than average, our MorCorn and MorSoy lineup still produced outstanding yields in all 14 locations from which we collected data. Presented here are results from last year’s yield trials at MFA research sites in Boonville, Mo., and just east of Columbia.

Both sites are on a corn-soybean rotation. In Boonville, corn plots were planted May 12, 2022, at a population of 32,500 seeds per acre, and soybeans were planted June 13 at a population of 140,000 seeds per acre. The corn was fertilized with SuperU at planting with 300 pounds of actual nitrogen per acre. Since this is a testing site, we push the nitrogen fertilization to attempt to eliminate the possibility of this nutrient being a limiting factor that affects yield. These research fields are located in the Missouri River bottoms, where the soil is well-drained silt loam.

At our research site east of Columbia, corn was planted on May 16 at a population of 32,500 seeds per acre, and soybeans were planted on June 16 at a population of 140,000 seeds per acre. The corn was fertilized with SuperU at 180 pounds of actual nitrogen per acre. This site is an average-yielding location situated on clay pan soils that are poorly drained.

The 2022 growing season presented many of the same weather challenges that we’ve seen so far this year. While both locations were dry, they were not excessively hot through the entire summer. Boonville began the season 2 inches behind on rainfall, whereas Columbia was near normal to start. However, both sites ended well below the average cumulative precipitation for the May to October time period. By the end of the season, our research site east of Columbia was 6.5 inches behind normal, with Boonville 12.2 inches behind. The lack of rainfall reduced disease pressure at both locations. Except for excessive heat during June in Boonville, . . .

Video by Mikaya Wallis

Story by Garrett Imhoff

Images by Allison Jenkins
& Jessica Ekern

READ MORE HERE

August/September 2023 Today's Farmer

Click to read more from this issue including articles on irrigation, weaning heifers, corn production, grants, zucchini recipes and more.

SUBSCRIBERS & MFA members typically get the printed issue of Today's Farmer before we post the magazine online. The October issue is currently in production and will ship the early October.

About Today's Farmer magazine

Today's Farmer is published 9 times annually. Printed issues arrive monthly except combined issues for June/July, August/September and December/January. Subscriptions are available only in the United States.

If you would like to begin or renew a print subscription, CLICK HERE and go to our shop. We are proud to offer the subscription for only $15 per year.

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