Darren Hefty

Agronomy Updates from the Co-Host of Ag PhD TV and Radio.

[Nebraska CropWatch @UNL_CropWatch]

#Wheat stem maggot injury has been confirmed in east-central Nebraska #corn, raising new questions about risk even when #covercrops are terminated before planting. https://t.co/m8CH2WY3ya

#NebExt #NebraskaAg #AgTwitter #CropProduction #Farming #Ag #AgResearch

[Matt Swanson @MaxROIFarmer]

October 13th, 1914.

The day my 17yo great grandfather Karl Hermann Ternoff Svennson stepped off the Hellig Olav in New York after leaving Sweden. $50 to his name, 1 of 10 siblings.

There is a reason some of the most fervent believers in the dream are its newest immigrants. They come from places where the dream was barely worth having as it would never come true. Perhaps we too have forgotten.

To quote a pseudo famous American President. "..We can't be consumed by our petty differences any more. We will be united in our common interest...We will not go quietly into the night, we will not vanish without a fight.." (shoutout Thomas Whitmore).

It's our responsibility as citizens of the Shining City on a Hill to step up and reclaim that mantle. To dare again. Rebuild the place that was a beacon of hope to many in the kind of places in the Third World where I and many others have left the safety of here to tread.

No dream was something I saw in the eyes of people half way around the world, no dream, no prospects. The dream whispered among our interpreters, earning money and a trace of a connection stepping into the lions mouth with us with the chance to maybe leave their war torn countries for someplace better. Largely they didn't dream of moving to Europe, it was America. The same dream many of our own ancestors had when they left their home countries.

I'd like to think my grandfather Hermann would be furious if I abdicated the dream by playing too small.

If there was one message I could imprint on my children's brains it's that in America you can be limitless. Do the thing, dream the dream, build a life worthy of the journey your ancestors made to get here.

So when I finally build the thing, hopefully he'll look down and say "Well Done".

Maybe I'll name it Hermann.

@TheeGrainLady @Kristinawong @ORIGINBJJ @drgurner @ottoscholl @JMCampbellFarms @KellyGarrett75 @BX825returns @formerTedHamer1 @mitchzum @blakealbers @laurenpayne2012

[Casey C. @cattleNcrops83]

It’s very concerning the level some farmers are applying N as the main goal to improve farm yields. I wish more people took time to understand soil biology/balance required for nutrient management. Over application of some fertilizer is not only expensive, it’s detrimental.

[Mike and Jeff show @AgrisAcademy @AgrisAcademy]

My Venezuela experience as head of trading in the region for Cargill.

Cargill was/is the leading producer of critical staple ingredients such as flour, pasta, vegetable oil, and rice in VZ. I am not saying I agree with grabbing the dictator, but I did have a front row seat to the damage a kleptocracy did to innocent people.
1. The government took over our "minute rice" facility at gunpoint because we were "gouging" the nation's poor. The government was never able to run the plant. It never ran again. It was returned years later with no equipment inside
2. There are 1000's of generals in the army. They are each given a slice of the economy to loot. The large number of generals made it difficult to organize a coup against the regime.
3. The government opened grocery stores and sold staples below the cost we sold them to the government. In theory they used petro oil money to lower grocery prices. Our regular grocery outlets were forced out of business. When the government demanded we sell them products below cost we simply had to shut down. The populous became ever more dependent on the government handouts. (PS this is the mayor of New York City's proposal.
4. Dollars- We needed dollars to go buy raw materials like wheat from places like the US and Canada. The government would periodically allocate us some dollars that could only be spent for raw materials and freight. Eventually only the local companies that can and would pay bribes got dollar allocations. We had several facilities closed for lack of raw material
5. My employees liked working for Cargill. The office was an armed compound with access to a gym, high speed internet, global communications, and a weekly box of basic staples. Cargill provided a safe and secure environment if only for the working hours.
6. Employees became very close to others inside the apartment building. Going out on the street with a desperate population was not advisable.
7. I needed wood pallets for feed. We tried to export wood pallets to swap for grain. We refused to pay the bribes it would take to export the pallets
8. I once tried to set up a closed loop wheat planting to flour mill supply chain. A. They came and stole all the seed wheat for food. When we tried to ship in seed wheat in containers via US donors there was no way to get it out of the port without it being stolen
9. Livestock- Our feed business completely collapsed. Even if you could raise a pig, you couldn't defend it from being stolen. People with guns were hungry.
10. Employees- In the end my highly skilled team alone with other highly educated people chose to leave. Cargill often found jobs for them in other Latin countries. The regime was more than happy to see the well-educated leave the country. Setting these employees up with high quality stable jobs after fleeing remains one of the best things I ever did in my career. No one remembers millions in trading earnings.

This is a short list. In my opinion the first money spent needs to happen now and it needs to be food. The US is already on the clock. The current regime does not care if it starves the population. The orgy of theft will actually accelerate if they believe their days are numbered. VZ should be an outstanding customer of US grown ag products. Rice, bread wheat, veg oil ect. Feed the people first.

Jeff Kazin
Former head trading Cargill

[BJ McNeil @McNeilBJ]

Should American farmers, with help from USDA, build up the bio fuel industry and consume all the soybeans we used to send to China? It would only take 10% of the current diesel market to achieve and a price tag similar to what the government has handed out the last two years.

[Clint Fischer @clintwfischer]

There's a South Dakota program trying to help beginning farmers.

Most kids who want to farm but don't have a family farm to inherit never get the chance.

Land’s too expensive. Banks won’t touch them.

The dream dies before it starts.

SD’s Beginning Farmer Bond Program hopes to change that:

- For first-time farmers w/ net worth <$400K

- Can borrow up to $600K for land, barns, breeding livestock, or machinery

- Interest is tax-exempt for bond purchasers → lower rates for farmers

- Can even buy from parents/grandparents if it’s FMV

It's not a silver bullet, just a crack in the door.
A shot for young farmers to buy in, build equity, and stay rural.

Hopefully it helps.

[Alison Robertson @alisonrISU]

Mid-April planted corn not sprayed and sprayed at R1 (mid-July); Now at R5.25. Mid-May planted corn not sprayed and sprayed at R1 (end July); Now at R4. Fungicide doing great job of holding off disease in upper canopy.

[Dylan Mangel @DylanMangel]

Cloudy conditions are a major risk factor for white mold. A decrease in solar radiation during the disease's key infection window is predicted to cause increased crop yield loss across the state and region. #Agriculture @CropNetwork #soybeans @snodgrss @NebraskaClimate

[Demco Products @demcoag]

We had a great day @AgPhDFieldDay! Thank you, &amp; thank you to everyone who came to see us!

[Crop Protection Network @CropNetwork]

Diplodia ear rot has been found in multiple states in 2025. No mycotoxins are associated with this ear rot in the US and Canada. Ear leaves generally die prematurely on infected ears.

Scout prior to maturity to ID. Problematic areas should be harvested as soon as possible to prevent further mold. Harvested grain should be cooled, dried, and cleaned immediately, and stored apart from grain from healthy fields.

@cropdoc08 @alisonrISU @badgercropdoc @MartinChilvers1 @MandyBish1 @baldpathologist #corn

[Mike and Jeff show @AgrisAcademy @AgrisAcademy]

If you are headed to the Ag PhD Field day this Thursday July 31st, come find us at our tent. We will be holding brief but focused discussions on the hour, 8 to 2, on various topics that will more than pay for your trip. We also give away money, yes money, who needs another pen.

[Dylan Mangel @DylanMangel]

It's not unusual to see bacterial blight in soybeans, but it is unusual for it to cause yield loss. Don't worry!

[Dylan Mangel @DylanMangel]

They're here. Reports of white mold mushrooms are coming in from around the state. Chances to manage are running out.

[Crop Protection Network @CropNetwork]

Southern rust, tar spot & gray leaf spot = fungi.
Bacterial leaf streak & Goss's wilt = bacteria.

Properly ID & assess risk for best disease management outcomes. Ask local Extension for more info.

@DTelenko @alisonrISU @baldpathologist @MahDuffeck @maddishires @MandyBish1 @tjcksn @cropdoc08 @BorisCamiletti @badgercropdoc @MartinChilvers1 @travisfaske @ppp_trey @alabamaED @NationalCorn #corn

[Erick Larson @MStateCorn]

#Corn kernels near the tip often fail. Ears prioritize their lower portion and set kernels by 20 days after tassel.

Thus, kernels often abort when energy is limiting. Reasons may include:

🌽Saturated soil
✔️Cloudy days
🌽Nutrient deficiencies
✔️Genetics
🌽Variable growth

[Alison Robertson @alisonrISU]

So much bacterial leaf streak in central Iowa. Big differences observed in hybrid susceptibility. Do NOT misdiagnose this for gray leaf spot.

[Ed Sikora @alabamaED]

NEMATODE MONDAY: Something special (NOT good) about digging up a root system infected w/tRoot-knot nematode. Symptoms of most plant-parasitic nematodes are just not as dramatic. The galling disrupts the plants normal function leading to stunted unthrifty plants #Nematology #SON

[Eros Francisco @Eabfranc]

Textbook pictures of K deficiency in soybeans (yellowing of the border of older leaves) in this research trial with the @SoybeanScience1 group at Crossvile, AL. @ACESedu @AuburnCSES