775+ Decisions Behind a Single Corn Crop
A farmer can make more than 775 decisions that affect a single corn crop. From soil fertility and hybrid selection to planting speed, crop insurance, grain marketing, equipment purchases, and succession planning, modern farming requires hundreds of interconnected decisions every year. You see a cornfield. A farmer sees hundreds of decisions. To someone driving past […]
What Does a Modern Farmer Do?
A modern Iowa farmer is a high-tech business owner, agronomist, equipment manager, risk manager, and grain marketer. Throughout a single crop year, farmers make hundreds of connected decisions involving soil preparation, seed selection, planting, fertility, crop protection, harvest, equipment, logistics, and marketing. Each choice can affect yield, income, and the future of the farm. When […]
How Has Farming Changed in the Last 25 Years?
Over the past 25 years, farming has shifted from manual, instinct-based practices to precision, technology-driven agriculture. GPS systems, drones, regenerative soil methods, and direct-to-consumer markets have reshaped how food is grown—and how Iowa farmland is valued by investors today. Farming in 1999 looked very different from farming today. Fields that once relied on a farmer’s […]
Why Are Larger Fields Easier to Farm?
Larger fields reduce equipment turns, lower fuel costs, and make precision agriculture tools more effective. Farmers who consolidate land can complete field operations faster, manage soil more consistently, and integrate technology at a scale that smaller, fragmented parcels simply can’t match. Drive through the Midwest during planting season and you’ll notice something: the biggest, most […]
The Evolution of Weed Control in Farming: From Hand Tools to Artificial Intelligence
Weed control has come a long way over the past 250 years. What once required hand labor and horse-drawn equipment now includes GPS-guided sprayers, agricultural drones, artificial intelligence, electric weeders, and autonomous robots. These innovations help farmers improve efficiency, reduce input costs, and manage herbicide-resistant weeds while producing more food with fewer resources. How Has […]