For decades, neonicotinoid-coated seeds have been used to manage soil-dwelling insect pests in field crops. However, recently passed legislation in New York will ban the sale of neonicotinoid-coated corn, soybean, and wheat seeds beginning on January 1, 2029, unless a waiver is issued by the N.Y. Department of Environmental Conservation.

Sometimes diving deeper into a topic simply serves as a reminder to focus on the basics. The findings of a recent project largely align with this lesson.

Soil health is a key focus of corn growers who are working towards sustainability goals and safeguarding their operation against increasingly challenging growing conditions.

Optimizing nitrogen (N) management in corn silage production can help improve dairy farm profitability while reducing its environmental footprint.

The ability to identify individual cow feed efficiency has the potential to have significant, far-reaching impacts on herd management related to feeding costs, culling and breeding. Not only could unprofitable cows be culled from the herd earlier, highly feed-efficient cows could be targeted for breeding to leverage the heritability of efficiency. 

With so many factors to consider, understanding a farm’s income over feed costs can take time, but that understanding also provides a clear map of the changes possible on the farm. By knowing the total costs associated with their operation, dairy farmers can weigh their options to find the next bump in their paycheck and support profitability.