Pamela Smith

1 week ago | dtnpf.com | Pamela Smith |Pam Smith

Farmers Explore the Legacy of Working with Dad 6/15/2025 | 4:54 AM CDT By  Pamela Smith , Crops Technology Editor DECATUR, Ill. (DTN) -- Ethan Zoerb doesn't need a time-traveling automobile or perhaps more accurately, a tractor, to get back to the future. The Litchfield, Nebraska, farmer's yesterday looks very much like his today and hopefully, his tomorrows.

2 weeks ago | dtnpf.com | Pamela Smith |Pam Smith

Put Tar Spot on 2025 Corn Disease Radar 6/11/2025 | 11:07 AM CDT By  Pamela Smith , Crops Technology Editor Tar spot showed up in early June in corn fields in several Midwest states in 2024. Does that mean the disease will be problematic this year? Not necessarily. But it does increase the need to look for the presence of the disease, said Darcy Telenko, Purdue University plant pathologist.

2 weeks ago | dtnpf.com | Pamela Smith |Pam Smith

DECATUR, Ill. (DTN) -- Farm operations collided this week on Henderson Farms near Madison, Alabama. With more wet weather threatening, partner Stuart Sanderson and the entire farm crew were full throttle busy trying to get wheat out of the field and into the bin. Soybean planters were following immediately behind the combines. Early corn is already at full tassel and nearing timing for fungicide treatments. There's younger corn that still needs nitrogen.

3 weeks ago | dtnpf.com | Pamela Smith |Pam Smith

Farmers Talk Rain, Farm Footwear and Why Shorts are Cool 6/1/2025 | 4:56 AM CDT By  Pamela Smith , Crops Technology Editor DECATUR, Ill. (DTN) -- Ethan Zoerb isn't overly superstitious, but finding a mushroom in his corn field this week was cause for pause. "I've heard the old saying that finding three mushrooms in a row is a forecast of rain. I only found one, so maybe that's not going to be enough to keep this coming.

4 weeks ago | dtnpf.com | Pamela Smith |Pam Smith

Periodical Cicadas Emerging in Eastern States 5/30/2025 | 3:33 PM CDT By  Pamela Smith , Crops Technology Editor A year ago, I put out the welcome mat for periodical cicadas to hang out in my yard. They emerged from the soil in biblical numbers and climbed into nearby trees and shrubs. From the first early birds to the last slowpoke, their time on earth spanned about a month. They were loud and not at all discreet about their love affairs.