Monsanto received deregulation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for MON 87460, the company's first-generation drought-tolerant trait for corn.

A new USDA study shows that farmers using combinations of erosion-control and nutrient-management practices on cultivated cropland are reducing losses of sediment, nitrogen and phosphorous from farm fields and decreasing the movement of these materials to the Great Lakes and their associated waterways.

The USDA's Sept. 12, 2011, Crop Production report confirmed expectations of a smaller U.S. corn crop than forecast in August, said a University of Illinois agricultural economist.

Cover crop roller-crimpers have several advantages over mowing, in that fewer trips are required to suppress the cover crop, less energy is used, residues persist longer and the residue is neatly laid in one direction, facilitating planting.

U.S. farmers plan to plant 3.99 million (4.5 percent) more corn acres, 3.89 million (8.2 percent) more wheat acres, and 1.59 million (15 percent) more cotton acres than last year.