Farmers struggle with two major types of fungal pathogens. First are the soil pathogens which thrive on newly planted crops, especially in cold wet soils planted early in the growing season. Second are the foliar leaf pathogens that generally affect plants later in the growing season. The following discussion is on the use of phosphite as a natural soil fungicide and bio-stimulant for early season soil fungal control and fast plant growth. What is the difference between phosphite and phosphate. Phosphate is an atom of phosphorus with four oxygens attached. Phosphates are what plants take up and use for the majority of their plant nutrition. Very stable, it is used in the plant cell wall, in DNA (genetic code) and RNA (messengers), and for energy transfer. The bad part about phosphate is that it may cause water quality concerns when it leaves the soil. Phosphite is an atom of phosphorus plus only three oxygens. It is much more mobile, both in the soil and in the plant, but highly reacti...

  A New Regenerative Pilot Program worth about $700 million dollars to farmers will start in 2026. The goal is to help farmers with regenerative farm practices that improve soil health, enhance water quality, increase food nutrition, and help farmers remain profitable long-term.  Brooke Rollins, US Secretary of Agriculture says, “Protecting and improving soil health is critical for long-term farmland success … We must protect our topsoil from unnecessary erosion and improve soil health and land stewardship. USDA is supporting farmers who choose to transition to regenerative agriculture.”  Details of the program are just starting to be released. The Natural Resources Conservation Service will administer the program starting in 2026 with an initial focus on whole-farm planning for soil, water and natural vitality under a single conservation framework. Around $400 million will come from EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Program) and $300 million from CSP (Conservation St...

  On December 3rd, several Ohio speakers discussed weather, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in agriculture, and precision soil sampling at the Ohio No-Till conference, Der Dutchman, Plain City Ohio. Here are their comments. First, Dr Vinayak Shedekar, OSU Ohio Drainage Management specialist spoke about weather, mainly drought and excess water. Nationally based on insurance claims; drought/dry weather cost farmers about $90 billion/year (43% of total) followed by excess water $52 billion (25%) with other insurance claims around $22 billion/yr (32%). Water is one of the most limiting factors to obtaining high crop yields. In Ohio, typically 70% of water related crop losses are due to excess water with 30% due to drought. Recently though, drought has been a bigger concern. Drought may cut corn yields 40 bushel/acre or more while typically too much water historically reduces corn yields 20 bushel or more. Corn needs about 28 inches of rain during the growing season (Late April to Late Sep...

  Farmers try to balance the big three nutrients for plant growth: nitrogen (N) phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) since they are known to increase crop yields. However, for good soil health and good plant health; the secondary nutrients: calcium (Ca) Sulfur (S) Magnesium (Mg) and micronutrients are also important. Calcium (Ca) is the third most plant abundant nutrient and is a major regulator of plant hormones for plant growth and yield. However, to get Ca into the plant, you need boron (B) a micronutrient. Boron (B) is like a bus driver hauling Ca into the plant. Unfortunately, there needs to be a soil balance because Ca ties up B and vice versa. So too much of either one or too little causes poor growth and low yields. Adequate Ca promotes more roots, bigger shoots, bigger leaves, more flowers, more pollen and ultimately higher yields. Sulfur (S) is another important nutrient especially for building critical plant amino acids. As an electron donor, S helps plants control light int...