Boots In The Field Report
342 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsOne of the founding pillars of Crop-Tech Consulting is integrating a systems approach to farming. Crop-Tech is continually adding to their expertise and services. To aid in this process, CTC conducts over 150 test plots every year and works in conjunction with Farm Journal to gather research data on the industry’s equipment, practices, and technology. The Boots in the Field Report features Crop-Tech Consulting agronomist Ken Ferrie. He will keep you up-to-date by describing what he is seeing while in the field.
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Episodes
Episode 239: Boots In The Field Report June 18, 2021
June 18, 2021 00:00 - 12 minutes - 8.33 MBKen gives a crop report from Minnesota and back, and while he might be a little biased, he indicates the best-looking crop is right here in central IL. Ken advocates for growers to take a Farm Mental Health Week and covers why some growers are seeing rootless corn at this point in the season and what will help correct it. He reminds, that while disease pressure is low, pest scouts should be doing rootworm float counts to make decisions for next year and watching the bigger non GMO co...
Episode 238: Boots In The Field Report June 4, 2021
June 04, 2021 00:00 - 13 minutes - 9.25 MBKen Ferrie recaps the reports from the north on frost damage from the past weekend and a planting update from the Quincy area. The beans at the Corn College Campus are starting to flower and Ken warns growers with early planted beans to make sure they aren’t knocking off these early flowers with miss-timed sprays that burn back the beans. He reports on calls concerning strong reactions from post sprays due to current weather patterns, heavy cutworm feeding, and damaged fields from 13...
Episode 237: Boots In The Field Report May 28, 2021
May 28, 2021 00:00 - 20 minutes - 14.2 MBKen talks with CTC agronomist Matt Duesterhaus in Quincy, Il to see how they are dealing with the 15 inches of rain they have received since planting, replant issues they have both been seeing, and how hybrid characteristics can help inform your plan for dealing with the ugly corn syndrome. They also recap what insects to be on lookout for and what the damage will look like when scouting.
Episode 236: Boots In The Field Report May 21, 2021
May 21, 2021 00:00 - 9 minutes - 6.7 MBKen recaps the outcome of the service calls looking at frosted beans this week, considerations for those who replanted and those who left it, and gives a heads up to the pest teams to be scouting fields and making ear count notes now.
Episode 235: Boots In The Field Report May 6, 2021
May 06, 2021 00:00 - 24 minutes - 33.2 MBKen waves the caution flag on planting after noon today (5/6) in areas that are forecasted to get lower temperatures, warning that it is setting up the perfect storm for another Mother’s Day Massacre. He also talks with Matt Duesterhaus in Quincy, Il about replant decisions they are facing and how to use the replant worksheet on the website. This week they also warn growers with cover or high weed presence to be aware of the cutworm pressure. Scouts need to be on the lookout and not...
Episode 234: Boots In The Field Report April 30, 2021
April 30, 2021 00:00 - 6 minutes - 4.69 MBIn this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken gives a planting progress update and warns pest teams to stay on top of the bean leaf beetle pressure. He also states the rain delay was a welcome break to take care of moisture concerns and to help diversify risk by widening the planting window. Ken also talks a little about new technology that he got to see run this week that might solve the planting spike up dilemma.
Episode 233: Boots In The Field Report April 23, 2021
April 23, 2021 00:00 - 7 minutes - 5.11 MBKen advises to keep an eye out on corn following the April snow to make sure it does not leaf out under ground and to check wheat for frost damage. He also warns growers to make sure they are checking on their prepaid glyphosate order to see if the shortage will cause farmers to readjust their plans.
Episode 233: Boots In The Field Report April, 23 2021
April 23, 2021 00:00 - 7 minutes - 5.11 MBKen advises to keep an eye out on corn following the April snow to make sure it does not leaf out under ground and to check wheat for frost damage. He also warns growers to make sure they are checking on their prepaid glyphosate order to see if the shortage will cause farmers to readjust their plans.
Episode 232: Boots In The Field Report April 17, 2021
April 17, 2021 00:00 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MBTo plant or not to plant that is the question! Ken lays out the risks of planting next week for both corn and beans. Farmers must know the risks involved for their own farms and weight it against the advantages. Many farmers will be coming to different decisions based on their own farm situations. What is right for you may not be right for your neighbor. Finally, Ken mentions that landlords and farm managers must be on the same page!
Episode 231: Boots In The Field Report April 9, 2021
April 09, 2021 00:00 - 13 minutes - 9.3 MBKen gives a report on how many growers got something planted during the shot of good weather. He also catches up with CTC Agronomist Matt Duesterhaus to see how field conditions are progressing in the western part of the state. Ken stated some growers couldn’t take advantage of the nice weather to get beans in the ground because they had to wait on a herbicide application. He advised that planning for early beans might take an adjustment in winter burn down plans. Ken also warns grow...
Episode 230: Boots In The Field Report April 2, 2021
April 02, 2021 00:00 - 8 minutes - 5.72 MBKen walks through what to think about when considering putting early beans in the ground. He reminds growers that when making a pass in the field you only want to create a density change not a compaction layer. And he warns that while you may get away with putting in a compaction layer to plant early beans, you must assign the cost and design a plan to fix it before the next year’s corn crop.
Episode 229: Boots In The Field Report March 26, 2021
March 26, 2021 00:00 - 13 minutes - 9.02 MBKen answers the question “If 2021 is a drought, do I move all my nitrogen up front?” and other concerns for mitigating weather risk in the season ahead. He also sends out a HUGE thank you to everyone who helped put in, collect, and shell the ears for the Hybrid study.
Episode 228: Boots In The Field Report March 11, 2021
March 11, 2021 00:00 - 14 minutes - 9.78 MBThe Sins of Spring presentation has caused a lot of questions about how a tillage system with TWO compaction layers (shallow and deep) was beating one with only one deep layer and how a vertical format was beating them both by quite a margin. In this in-depth Boots In The Field Report, Ken takes time to detail which elements caused the reduction and why yield response was so strong.
Episode 227: Boots In The Field Report March 4, 2021
March 04, 2021 00:00 - 10 minutes - 7 MBIn this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers considerations when trying to pay the carbon penalty of cover crops with manure, how carbon penalties affect beans, and who should push planting windows and who can wait.
Episode 226: Boots In The Field Report February 22, 2021
February 22, 2021 00:00 - 9 minutes - 6.3 MBIn this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers who needs to do seed test, which lots to test and what tests to run.
Episode 225: Boots In The Field Report February 12, 2021
February 12, 2021 00:00 - 6 minutes - 4.34 MBKen loves it when a plan comes together. In this week’s Boots In The Field Report he covers what operations should think through and document as part of their crop plan to have it all come together for 2021.
Episode 225: Boots In The Field Report February 12, 2021
February 12, 2021 00:00 - 15 minutes - 4.34 MBKen loves it when a plan comes together. In this week’s Boots In The Field Report he covers what operations should think through and document as part of their crop plan to have it all come together for 2021.
Episode 224: Boots In The Field Report February 3, 2021
February 03, 2021 00:00 - 4 minutes - 3.3 MBKen covers switching crop rotations and herbicide carry over in this week's Boots In The Field Report.
Episode 223: Boots In The Field Report January 25, 2021
January 25, 2021 00:00 - 7 minutes - 4.94 MBIn this week’s Boots in The Field report Ken covers conversation points for a landlord and a farmer to cover before signing a lease with a fertility clause.
Episode 222: Boots In The Field Report
January 19, 2021 00:00 - 9 minutes - 6.6 MBMaking adjustments in your crop rotation due to the market? In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers things to think about when making the switch and advises to have a goal in mind when making equipment upgrades.
Episode 221: Boots In The Field Report January 12, 2021
January 12, 2021 00:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBIn this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken shares plot data to help illustrate major factors in choosing the right nitrogen program for a field and a hybrid. He demonstrates how interconnected population and N rate should be and how hybrid characteristics play into timing and placement.
Episode 220: Boots In The Field Report December 23, 2020
December 23, 2020 00:00 - 13 minutes - 9.22 MBThink of reviewing your yield maps like reviewing game day footage. You have to know what went right and what went wrong in the last game if you hope to improve for the next one. Check out this week’s Boots In The Field report as Ken breaks down how to do a yield map review.
Episode 219: Boots In The Field Report December 17, 2020
December 17, 2020 00:00 - 12 minutes - 8.88 MBKen warns that blanket populations across an entire farm is not how you mitigate risk. He walks through how to pick the right population per farm and per zone in this week’s Boots In The Field Report. Ken recommends starting with the usable water holding capacity of the soil under your current management practices to help set a realistic yield goal. Then he recommends looking at the hybrid flex and leaf structure to determine the right population.
Episode 218: Boots In The Field Report
December 09, 2020 00:00 - 6 minutes - 4.42 MBIn this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers an opportunity the dry winter is offering growers to set themself up for success next season. Current abnormally dry conditions are allowing growers to get some of next spring’s leveling done this winter. Getting level this winter has the added benefit of helping to maintain uniform waterfronts to plant into, minimizes putting in wheel tracks, and protects having to risk next spring’s moisture if water is tight for planting 2021.
Episode 218: Boots In The Field Report December 9, 2020
December 09, 2020 00:00 - 6 minutes - 4.42 MBIn this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers an opportunity the dry winter is offering growers to set themself up for success next season. Current abnormally dry conditions are allowing growers to get some of next spring’s leveling done this winter. Getting level this winter has the added benefit of helping to maintain uniform waterfronts to plant into, minimizes putting in wheel tracks, and protects having to risk next spring’s moisture if water is tight for planting 2021. ...
Episode 217: Boots In The Field Report November 19, 2020
November 19, 2020 00:00 - 12 minutes - 8.83 MBIn this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken talks about how to evaluate if you need to treat your beans, why early season scouting reports have value now, and he warns growers not to throw hybrids out of their line-up for next year just because of a disappointing yield in 2020.
Boots In The Field Report November 12, 2020
November 12, 2020 00:00 - 13 minutes - 9.21 MBIn this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken encourages growers to make use of the dry fall weather for field work, but warns it could create issues for applying anhydrous. He also list options for taking care of the increased weed seed from major weed escapes this year that can haunt growers for the next several years.
Boots In The Field Report November 4, 2020
November 04, 2020 00:00 - 21 minutes - 14.7 MBIn this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken sits down with Matt Duesterhaus, Crop-Tech research agronomist in Quincy, IL, to talk over how the season went in his area and some of the preliminary plot results.
Boots In The Field Report October 23, 2020
October 23, 2020 00:00 - 17 minutes - 12 MBIn this week’s podcast Ken covers the crop report, adjusting for header loss and dives deep on results coming in from the Fixed/Flexed plots. He shares the consensus locally is that the crop looked bigger from the combine than it did in the elevator and reminds growers doing vertical tillage that they are making sure to get full width shatter, especially after this rain.
Boots In The Field Report October 16, 2020
October 16, 2020 00:00 - 9 minutes - 6.85 MBIn this week's Boots in The Field Report Ken covers yield reports, including 245 bu June corn, as well as some interesting bean plot results. He also warns about watching stalk quality and increased header loss in the dry areas.
Boots In The Field Report October 9, 2020
October 09, 2020 00:00 - 8 minutes - 6.04 MBWhen your yield isn't where you expected it to be, take time now to figure out why. Easier to find answers now than trying to figure it out from a yield map this winter. It helps grow your crews knowledge and strengthens an operation.
Boots In The Field Report September 29, 2020
September 29, 2020 00:00 - 6 minutes - 4.53 MBIn this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers how yield and moisture are swinging within a single field in the drought stricken areas. He also describes the ideal "photo finish" we are shooting for in corn, recommends growers check harvest lost in every field, advises when to use a harvest aid, and stresses the importance for scouts to stay on top of recording things like tar spot, kernel counts and rootworm resistance even as we approach end of the season.
Boots In The Field Report September 15, 2020
September 15, 2020 00:00 - 11 minutes - 8.13 MBIn this week's Boots in The Field Report Ken recaps what he saw during farm visit for growers in the path of the derecho, how to tell the difference between southern rust and common rust, why it is important to know whether it is northern leaf blight or Goss's wilt in your fields, and why you should write down your yield estimates now to check against your yield maps this fall.
Boots In The Field Report September 3, 2020
September 03, 2020 00:00 - 9 minutes - 6.24 MBIn this week’s Boots in The Field Report Ken covers Bean Leaf Beetle and Aphids, reasons for dropped or tipped down ears, the importance of starting to make your harvest order now, and what you need to consider when making decisions about weed escapes for this year.
Boots In The Field Report August 29, 2020
August 29, 2020 00:00 - 12 minutes - 8.25 MBIn this week's Boots in The Field Report Ken covers the status of crops across the state and what to be on the lookout for as the season heads towards the finish line. He also reminds growers of the importance of getting out into the fields and knowing their ear count.
Boots In The Field Report August 17, 2020
August 17, 2020 00:00 - 25 minutes - 17.6 MBIn this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken does a conference call with three growers in and near the storm path in Iowa to get a live update of the damage and harvest outlook.
Boots In The Field Report August 12, 2020
August 12, 2020 00:00 - 5 minutes - 3.59 MBIn this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken talks aphids, 2nd generation corn borer flights, and wind damage.
Boots In The Field Report August 5, 2020
August 05, 2020 00:00 - 8 minutes - 5.78 MBIn this week’s Boots In The Field Report, Ken shares yield check numbers and pollination issues he is finding during field visits due to drought and wind damage. He covers why it is important to take note of how hybrids handled the heavy wind pressure and encourages growers with the option to put up drones to check how fields survived heavy wind to make sure yield checks don’t need to be adjusted. During field visits this week, most beans were in the R3-R5 stage. Ken warns that once...
Boots In The Field Report July 28, 2020
July 28, 2020 00:00 - 9 minutes - 6.29 MBIn this week’s podcast Ken gives a pollination report and details the difference between the April planted corn pollination window in comparison to the May planted corn. He advises growers when taking stand counts which ones they should only give half credit to get more realistic yield estimates. Ken also urges growers to make sure they aren’t letting an opportunity to improve their operation pass them by. He is seeing a lot of wind damage, but in this podcast he outlines what that ...
Boots In The Field Report July 17, 2020
July 17, 2020 00:00 - 11 minutes - 7.94 MBIn this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers wind damage, non-uniform april corn, the decision between taking out the surfactants or waiting to spray and why moisture influences how we react to insect pressure.
Boots In The Field Report July 3, 2020
July 03, 2020 00:00 - 9 minutes - 6.33 MBIn this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers: brittle corn, excessive tillering, presence of cotton pith in stalks, and why corn fields might look tougher from the road. He also warns the dry areas about spider mites and suggest anybody looking at double crop beans check with their seed salesmen about the demand for seed beans.
Boots In The Field Report June 29, 2020
June 29, 2020 00:00 - 56 minutes - 7.91 MBAs the season is now off and running, Ken Ferrie gives a crop report from around the Midwest.
Boots In The Field Report June 16, 2020
June 16, 2020 00:00 - 9 minutes - 6.33 MBIn this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers: carbon penalty and ugly corn syndrome, rootless corn and what you can do about it, what pest to be on the lookout for, trends he is seeing in nitrates, and reporting on early flowering beans.
Boots In The Field Report June 1, 2020
June 01, 2020 00:00 - 18 minutes - 12.8 MBKen covers how the April planted crops are faring, warns to be on the lookout for bean leaf beetle, cutworm, and wireworm, and shares what nitrates moving to the second foot means for the carbon penalty.
Boots In The Field Report May 16, 2020
May 16, 2020 00:00 - 14 minutes - 9.75 MBKen warns that many farmers in Central Illinois will have to make tough replant decisions this week. He advises that the decision will need to be made as soon as possible and based upon actual counts from your farm, not neighborhood consensus or emotion. He walks through what steps to take to see if you can save the current crop and how to collect the numbers to tell if replant is the right decision. If growers are without a hoe, Ken offers other options to try to help this crop out ...
Boots In The Field Report: Important Frost/Freeze Weather Update May 6, 2020
May 06, 2020 00:00 - 9 minutes - 6.65 MBKen does a special mid-week Boots In The Field Report to prepare farmers for the predicted weather this weekend. He covers why he is concerned and the possible outcomes if the forecast is correct.
Boots In The Field Report May 4, 2020
May 04, 2020 00:00 - 9 minutes - 6.63 MBIn this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken gives an update on the planting front, explains how cold soils are working in a lot of growers’ favor right now, and where to look for weak spots in your N program following heavy spring rains.
Boots In The Field Report April 25, 2020
April 25, 2020 00:00 - 6 minutes - 4.19 MBIn this week’s #BIFR Ken Ferrie starts with an update on the corn and bean planting progress across central IL. Ken alerts scouts to be on the lookout for seed chilling issues, cutworms, and armyworms. He also warns them to be on the lookout for soil crusting, “Hoe Before You Know”. He ends with a warning about knowing your inhibitor!
Boots In The Field Report April 18, 2020
April 18, 2020 00:00 - 9 minutes - 6.18 MBKen recaps the results that have been coming back on the seed test and why some are concerning. He also talks about the increased Army Worm pressure, how the wheat is surviving the cold snap, and what conditions you are looking for if you plan to plant corn next week.
Boots In The Field Report April 7, 2020
April 07, 2020 00:00 - 8 minutes - 6.13 MBThis podcast is a product of all the calls asking the same question: “Can I plant corn or beans right now?” Ken gives his recommendations and outlines things to consider about planting right now.