BASF, the chemical company most widely known for its ongoing “We make it better” TV commercials, owes U.S. farmers $52 million for making it dishonestly.

No-tillers have another tool to consider using with their soybean crops. Nitragin Inc., a manufacturer of legume innoculants, has introduced Optimize, a soybean growth promoter. According to Nitragin, soybeans treated with Optimize delivered an average yield increase of 3.5 bushels per acre over 3 years of testing.

A broad spectrum herbicide that effectively controls grasses such as foxtails, johnsongrass and shattercane in no-tilled corn was introduced just in time for the 2003 growing season by Bayer CropScience. Featuring recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval, the herbicide will control broadleaf weeds such as cocklebur, lambsquarters, morningglory, ragweed, sunflower and velvetleaf.

Because of several concerns, Monsanto is delaying the introduction of its bioengineered Roundup Ready wheat by at least a year. The company's new timetable will delay, until at least 2004 and possibly 2005, the introduction of Roundup-resistant wheat.

No-tillers and other growers using Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn or cotton seed need to make sure they do a good job of following all of the essential rules and regulations this year.

If no-tillers are anything like the general population, 75 percent of you are chronically dehydrated and the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger. Even mild dehydration can slow your metabolism by as much as 3 percent.

A joint agreement that will greatly expand the availability of the Clearfield Production System herbicide-tolerance trait has been announced by BASF and Dow AgroSciences.