Nearly 900,000 farms in the United States use propane, according to the Propane Education Resource Council -- and with good reason. Propane is a clean-burning, reliable, and efficient energy source. Farmers can depend on propane to effectively and responsibly run their operations both in and out of the field. Activity has been increasing with propane engines throughout the country.  This is because companies are starting to do a better job of designing equipment, properly training…

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Seed placed in a cool, moist environment will soak up (imbibe) moisture, even though it may not be warm enough to trigger germination. Some damage to cell membranes inevitably occurs during this process. Some of the early damage that occurs due to cold water imbibition is irreversible. However, if warm soils allow the seed to germinate rapidly and the seedling continues rapid growth, the developing corn seedling often can repair the early damage and escape problems from invading…

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      Winter annuals, such as marestail and foxtail, sprung up around the state in recent weeks after temperatures reached the 70s and even 80-plus degrees in some areas.      “When we get these warmer temperatures, it really kicks off the winter annuals,” Barry Nash, GROWMARK weed science technical manager, told FarmWeek on a 70-degree day last week.      “They (winter annuals) are growing very fast,&rdquo…

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Viscosity is a physical property of a fluid defined as its resistance to flow and is highly dependent upon temperature.  Lubricant viscosity is closely related to its ability to reduce friction.  If the lubricant is too thick, meaning it has a high viscosity such as honey, it requires a large amount of energy to pump or move.  If it is too thin, the surfaces will rub, friction will increase, and wear will result. It is well known that the viscosity of oil increases (gets…

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I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that this year is shaping up to resemble 2008 with some characteristics of 2009.  It’s amazing to see the yearly contrasts. Last year at this time, corn planting already had come and gone, and today we are far behind the five-year average.  The good news is we still have plenty of good planting days ahead.  As we think back to previous years, crop protection challenges vary more drastically today than they did…

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      What a difference one year makes!  At this time last year, planting was well under way, and in many parts of the Midwest corn was sprouting.  Mother Nature surely has different plans for us this year.       Likewise, it seems cold and wet in the energy markets. Recently, West Texas Intermediate crude oil made new lows.  To make a new low in April is very unusual.       Typically, prices…

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     Central bankers and politicians across the globe continue to tinker with policies to mask their respective slowdowns, hide their past excesses, and reignite growth in their economies.      The two latest examples happened in the tiny country of Cyprus and, most recently, in Japan.      Government officials in Cyprus -- under the encouragement of the other members of the European Union (EU) -- recently decided they would…

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Lots of activity is taking place in the fertilizer markets as the supply side continues to respond to the increase in fertilizer values of recent years.   However, an equally important hot-topic category in fertilizer is “spring” -- that is, assuming spring has not been canceled this year.   Like any other sector of the agriculture industry, the global fertilizer markets have been buzzing with talk about weather this month.  Wet and cold has been the…

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  When you fill your gas tank, you undoubtedly have seen pumps with the label “This product may contain up to 10 percent ethanol.”  Since ethanol is used so extensively across the nation, refiners are now making fuels that are intended to be blended with ethanol.   An example is a lower octane gasoline that when blended with ethanol is sold as a minimum 87 octane fuel.  The effect of this practice is a lower cost fuel for the consumer that meets the…

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     Several times each year farmers and applicators are rushed to emergency rooms after being exposed to anhydrous ammonia (NH3).       The problems vary from inhalation to skin contact, but all could have been prevented with a basic understanding and respect for the product.  NH3 is a cost-effective and efficient means of providing nitrogen for a crop, but it must be applied with caution.       NH3 can…

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