Features Agronomy Corn
INTRODUCTION: Keep building better practices

There is a sentiment out there that with the tremendous pace of change taking
place, less diligence may be required with current farming practices. After
all, if the price of commodity crops is being driven up by demand for the use
of US corn in ethanol production, should we be quibbling over a few pennies
per acre in production costs?

In other words, 'Why sweat the small stuff?'

Diligence may be its own reward, in terms of better managing the small stuff,
even when times are good. Convenience and price should not be an excuse to lose
control or lose sight of cost of production concerns. Keep in mind that building
better management practices during the good times will set the pattern for when
things inevitably begin to reverse the current trend.

At Top Crop Manager, we are ever mindful of 'the small stuff' and this
is reflected in some of the story lines we offer to you. In this issue, we explore
several topics on which growers are going to have to familiarize themselves,
especially as opportunities begin emerging from this period of renewal. Weed
control and fertility remain as two of the crucial decision-making points in
crop production. In this issue, we include our annual Weed Control Guide, which
provides an easy reference.
Peter Darbishire, publisher and editor