Agronomy Moment

The mid-summer field season is moving fast, and the pressure is officially turning up. In this episode of the Agronomy Moment, Wendell and Celena step out into the heat to bring you a critical checklist for both your corn and soybean acres right now. We track the movement of Southern Rust out of Texas and break down why your later-planted corn is at the highest risk. Plus, we dive into the exact t...

Ag tech is moving faster than the laws can keep up. In this episode, Wendell sits down with Kayla Jenkins from Beck’s Hybrids to discuss the critical intersection of modern farming, emerging technology, and government policy. We dive headfirst into the rise of AI in precision agriculture, state-level drone legislation threats, and the legal battles surrounding the H-2A program. Kayla shares an ins...

The rain is chasing us out of the field again, but not before we pulled the data you need for your mid-summer bean passes. In this episode of the Agronomy Moment, Wendell and Selena are checking out a March-planted 4.9 maturity soybean field right here in Southwest Missouri that is moving much faster than expected. Selena breaks down the exact physical markers of the R3 growth stage (measuring pod...

The rain chased us out of the field this morning, but we’re bringing the scouting data straight to the studio. In this episode of the Agronomy Moment, Wendell and Selena dive headfirst into mid-summer corn diseases, focusing heavily on Gray Leaf Spot (GLS). With prevailing wet conditions keeping humidity high, GLS is actively creeping up the lower canopy. Selena breaks down the exact "Rule of a Qu...

Recent summer storms have left a lot of corn vulnerable across the region. If you’ve been out scouting wind damage over the last week and are trying to figure out what it means for your final stand, this episode is a must-watch. Today, Wendell sits down with Selena to break down how to accurately assess storm-damaged corn. We cover the cold, hard numbers behind green snap yield loss, how growth st...

As the soybean post-emergence window fast approaches, getting your Liberty® herbicide application right is critical. Because Liberty can be a bit finicky compared to other chemistry, relying on standard spraying habits just won’t cut it. In this episode of Agronomy Corner, Wendell Koehn and Celena dive into the ultimate management "recipe" to eliminate the vast majority of Liberty application fail...

Learn how to accurately stage corn when lower leaves have dropped off, so you can stay on-label with herbicide applications and keep plants healthy through the season. In this Agronomy Moment episode, Wendell Koehn and agronomist Celena walk through a simple, field-ready method to confirm growth stage from V5 to V7 using a dug plant on the tailgate. In this episode: Why accurate corn staging matte...

In this episode of Agronomy Moment, host Wendell Koehn sits down with Kala Jenkins, Government Affairs Advocate at Beck’s Hybrids, to unpack what it really looks like to fight for farmers in state and federal policy circles. Kayla shares her journey from a family farm and hydroponic operation to proactively creating her own advocacy role at Beck’s. She explains her three pillars—relationships, str...

Can you really check soybean stands with a hula hoop? In this video, Celena and I head to the field to show a simple and practical way to estimate soybean populations using a hoop method that makes stand counts easy to understand and repeat. We walk through: How the hula hoop stand count method works How to find your soybean stand factor Tips for checking emergence and spacing What healthy soybean...

Welcome back to the Agronomy Moment podcast! In this quick 10-minute update, we are joined by Selena to discuss how the recent heavy rains are impacting young crops and what you should look out for as fields dry out and crops enter the rapid growth stage. In this episode, we cover essential agronomy tips, including stand evaluation, nitrogen planning, and how to identify and mitigate early-season...

Is your corn crop ready for the V3 milestone? In this episode, we sit down with Scott Dickey, Regional Agronomy Manager at Beck’s Hybrids, to break down the critical management decisions facing corn growers right now. If your budget includes a top-dress application, you can't afford to miss this discussion on timing and nutrient balance. In this episode, we cover: The V3 Sweet Spot: Why Beck’s PFR...

Intro 0:00 Podcast 01:12 We hit the fields with Scott Dickey, Regional Agronomy Manager, to see how the early-season corn and soybeans are holding up after a stretch of heavy rain and cool temperatures. Despite the challenging weather, the fields are looking promising! In this update, we dive into the "boots on the ground" reality of early-season growth, covering: The Corn Coleoptile: Understandin...

George Sims joins me after a break to talk about the second part of our two part series on carbon. This time we dive into the products and their use on your corn & soybean crop. They are used in nitrogen and herbicide applications. CarbonWorks’ philosophy centers on delivering three essential elements—Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen—to support the soil’s biological system, rather than relying sol...

Intro 0:00 Podcast 01:12 In this episode, we sit down with George to talk about his deep dive into soil fertility. George argues that if we want to master agriculture, we have to stop looking at soil as a chemistry set and start looking at it as a living, breathing carbon-based system. Key Takeaways The Carbon-Water Complex: George breaks life down to its simplest form. Human bodies and plants ali...

Intro 0:00 Podcast 01:12 Join Scott Dickey, Regional Agronomy Manager at Beck's Hybrids, and Wendell Koehn, Beck’s Hybrids Seed Dealer, as they discuss one of the most important late-season soybean decisions: choosing the right insecticide at the R3 growth stage. In this conversation, Scott and Wendell break down: 🌱 What’s happening in soybeans at R3 (beginning pod) 🐛 How to properly identify po...

Intro 0:00 Podcast 01:12 Beck's Hybrids uses Product Characterization Research (PCR) to decide where each hybrid or variety will perform best before recommending it to farmers. 1️⃣ What “Product Characterization” Means It’s a structured, multi-location testing system that answers: What soil types does this hybrid like? How does it respond to high vs. low fertility? Does it handle drought or wet co...

Celena has a discussion on the pros and cons of different tillage tool types and what they offer and what they do not! Call us to get a customized plan for your farm this coming year! TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer as well as a franchise partner for Sweetwater Technologies. We provide Hybrid Corn Seed, Soybean Seed, and Wheat Seed. Beck's has access to the best genetics and trait...

Celena Hawkins joins me to discuss soil compaction and its effects on crop yield. We talk about how to avoid it, manage it, and ultimately correct the layers of compacted soils that cause all sorts of problems to a person's field. TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer as well as a franchise partner for Sweetwater Technologies. We provide Hybrid Corn Seed, Soybean Seed, and Wheat Seed. Be...

Celena Hawkins joins me to go over a program that uses Beck's Hybrids PFR to create a ROI program for yielding better soybeans while still keeping costs in check. TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer as well as a franchise partner for Sweetwater Technologies. We provide Hybrid Corn Seed, Soybean Seed, and Wheat Seed. Beck's has access to the best genetics and trait technologies from sup...

Celena Hawkins and I walk a corn field to look for compromised stalk strength, stalk diseases, crown rot, and a variety of problems affecting corn stalks stand ability. Diseases like Fusarium, Anthracnose, and even ear molds can give clues to fungus origins and fungicide applications that could have yielded a ROI. TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer as well as a franchise partner for S...

Managing late or early planted soybeans in July is a different approach for each timing of planting. The early planted soybeans are needing the application of insecticide/fungicide. The late planted soybeans are needing us to time the herbicide application before they quickly shift into flowering. TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer as well as a franchise partner for Sweetwater Technol...

Today's topic is on corn and pollination, ear sizes, color, health, etc and what we are seeing so far in corn. Corn hybrids are looking well at this time. TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer as well as a franchise partner for Sweetwater Technologies. We provide Hybrid Corn Seed, Soybean Seed, and Wheat Seed. Beck's has access to the best genetics and trait technologies from suppliers w...

Intro 0:00 Podcast 01:12 Celena joins me to talk about what to head into next when we face next week's work potential, especially for those who have had too much rain. Celena is the Field Agronomist for Beck's Hybrids in SW Missouri. Some of the topics nitrogen top dress, soybean planting populations, and also the water solubility of different chemistries and their effect as a result of too much o...

Celena Hawkins joins me again to go over the importance of what we need to be focused on now for our crops. Crop nutrition in the form of Nitrogen and Sulfur and weed control are critical in corn. In soybeans, it is weed control and understanding the values of appropriate stand counts for the season. It maybe less than you think. TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer as well as a franchi...

Intro 0:00 Podcast 0:12 Chad Gripp joins me in this podcast to talk about finding the best value for the dollar spent in crop inputs. We talk about crop protection products, a recommendation for applying crop protection to your corn and soybeans, and general advice from a professional who farms, helps farmers, and watches new technology closely. Good technology is a product or system that advances...