About 30% of the major global cereal crops rice, wheat and corn may have reached their maximum possible yields in farmers' fields, according to UNL research. These findings raise concerns about efforts to increase food production to meet growing global populations.

Advanced production techniques, informed growing practices and improved seed varieties helped corn growers achieve high yields in the National Corn Growers Association 2013 National Corn Yield Contest. Entrants continued to far surpass the national average corn yield, setting a contest record with a new all-time high yield of 454 bushels per acre.

Unlike corn, wheat and most other row crops grown in North America, soybean is able to obtain its own nitrogen (N) through the process of N fixation. N fixation is achieved through an intricate biological relationship between soybean and a particular species of soil bacteria, Bradyrhizobium japonicum. The bacteria obtain sugars from soybean to use as their energy source, and soybean obtains N from the bacteria.

There were multiple reports of Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) in soybeans this past year. The cooler, wet season helped promote the disease in susceptible varieties, but the presence of soybean cyst nematode (SCN) can also increase the effect of SDS.

In the chemical age of agriculture that began in the 1960s, potassium chloride (KCl), the common salt often referred to as potash, is widely used as a major fertilizer in the Corn Belt without regard to the huge soil reserves that were once recognized for their fundamental importance to soil fertility.

For wheat growers, it's a truism: Plant varieties that are resistant to prevalent diseases. But what if the wheat plant has to pay a price for resistance, possibly reducing its yield? Is the resistance worth it?

Leaving corn to dry in the field exposes a crop to unfavorable weather conditions, as well as wildlife damage.

Harvest operations are well underway on most Michigan grain farms, but the significant likelihood of above normal precipitation totals over the next couple of weeks could quickly return combines to the shed.

Use your yield monitor to mark locations for more than just rocks and evaluate crop performance.

This article highlights revisions to Iowa State University (ISU) soil-test interpretations and application guidelines for phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and lime in an update of extension publication PM 1688 "A General Guide for Crop Nutrient and Limestone Recommendations in Iowa."