Agronomy Moment
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About
TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer. We provide Hybrid Corn Seed, Soybean Seed, and Wheat Seed. Beck's has access to the best genetics and trait technologies from suppliers worldwide. We are the first to market with the best products & provide the latest, most accurate agronomic information through proven research. If you need agronomic assistance or want to be added to these updates, feel free to reach out via the messaging feature or contact us at topagservices.com/contact
Episodes
- Managing Wet Soils and Early Season Diseases in Corn & Soybeans
This Agronomy Moment episode discusses the impact of recent heavy rains on young corn and soybean crops. It covers stand evaluation, nitrogen planning, herbicide timing adjustments, identifying seedling diseases like Fusarium, Pythium, and…
- V3 Victory: Why Right Now is the Best Time for Side Dress Nitrogen
This Agronomy Moment episode features Scott Dickey from Beck’s Hybrids discussing critical V3 milestone decisions for corn growers. Topics include the optimal timing for side-dress nitrogen applications based on Beck’s PFR, the importance…
- Heavy Rain vs. New Crops: A Regional Agronomy Update on Corn and Soybeans Emerging
Scott Dickey, Regional Agronomy Manager, provides an update on how early-season corn and soybeans are performing after heavy rain and cool weather. The discussion covers the corn coleoptile's pressure tolerance in crusting soil, the Growin…
- What are CarbonWorks products? | Use cases on how they improve the efficacy of applications.
George Sims explains CarbonWorks products designed to improve crop applications. CetaiN stabilizes nitrogen using carbon bridges, Replenish acts as a salt-free adjuvant to enhance herbicide efficacy and residue breakdown, and RSTC 17 is an…
- What does Carbon do for your crop? | Corn and Soybeans response to the right carbon | George Sims
In this episode, George Sims explains soil fertility by viewing soil as a living, carbon-based system. He covers the carbon-water complex, how plants use atmospheric carbon, the role of soil respiration, and the dynamic nature of organic m…
- R3 Soybean Insecticide Decisions: Control vs. Suppression Explained
Intro 0:00 Podcast 01:12 Join Scott Dickey, Regional Agronomy Manager at Beck's Hybrids, and Wendell Koehn, Beck’s Hybrids Seed Dealer, as they discuss one of the most important late-season soybean decisions: choosing the right insecticide…
- Product Characterization Research from Beck's Hybrids | Industry First in placing Corn & Soybeans
Intro 0:00 Podcast 01:12 Beck's Hybrids uses Product Characterization Research (PCR) to decide where each hybrid or variety will perform best before recommending it to farmers. 1️⃣ What “Product Characterization” Means It’s a structured, m…
- Tillage Tools to manage Soil & Residue | Results of a Field Cultivator, Disk, & Vertical Till
Celena has a discussion on the pros and cons of different tillage tool types and what they offer and what they do not! Call us to get a customized plan for your farm this coming year! TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer as well…
- Soil Compaction's impact on Crop Nutrition & Health | Roots don't move, yield doesn't move!
Celena Hawkins joins me to discuss soil compaction and its effects on crop yield. We talk about how to avoid it, manage it, and ultimately correct the layers of compacted soils that cause all sorts of problems to a person's field. TOP Ag S…
- Pushing for Higher Yielding Soybeans | Can we create a cost effective plan even if it is a drought?
Celena Hawkins joins me to go over a program that uses Beck's Hybrids PFR to create a ROI program for yielding better soybeans while still keeping costs in check. TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer as well as a franchise partn…
- Pre Harvest Check in Corn for Stalk Strength | Planning where your combine goes first!
Celena Hawkins and I walk a corn field to look for compromised stalk strength, stalk diseases, crown rot, and a variety of problems affecting corn stalks stand ability. Diseases like Fusarium, Anthracnose, and even ear molds can give clues…
- Managing Late or Early Planted Soybeans this time of year | Herbicide and Insecticide
Managing late or early planted soybeans in July is a different approach for each timing of planting. The early planted soybeans are needing the application of insecticide/fungicide. The late planted soybeans are needing us to time the herb…
- Corn Pollinating, Disease checks, & Yield Potential | Late June check of the field level view
Today's topic is on corn and pollination, ear sizes, color, health, etc and what we are seeing so far in corn. Corn hybrids are looking well at this time. TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer as well as a franchise partner for S…
- Nitrogen in corn, Spray Weeds, Plant Soybeans, but what population? | What is the next #1 Priority?
Intro 0:00 Podcast 01:12 Celena joins me to talk about what to head into next when we face next week's work potential, especially for those who have had too much rain. Celena is the Field Agronomist for Beck's Hybrids in SW Missouri. Some…
- Management young Corn & Soybeans sets the stage for a Defensive Crop later on | May 2025 Update
Celena Hawkins joins me again to go over the importance of what we need to be focused on now for our crops. Crop nutrition in the form of Nitrogen and Sulfur and weed control are critical in corn. In soybeans, it is weed control and unders…
- Finding the Best Value for the Dollar Spent in Farming | with Chad Gripp
Intro 0:00 Podcast 0:12 Chad Gripp joins me in this podcast to talk about finding the best value for the dollar spent in crop inputs. We talk about crop protection products, a recommendation for applying crop protection to your corn and so…
- Corn reminders on nitrogen, weeds, and diseases | April 2025 Update in the Field
Today's video covers what we are seeing currently in the field and what some next steps or Number One Priorities will be going forward. Quite a bit of rain has fallen and there is some more rain in the forecast. What do we do when it dries…
- Wendell Koehn interviews Beck's Hybrids Seed Advisor Chris Kennady | Introduction to his new role!
Watch this video to get a good background in to Chris Kennady. He has recently announced his acceptance of the job for Beck's Hybrids Seed Advisor. This role will help dealers and customers to be more successful in the West Central/ SW Mis…
- Corn Sprouted and emerging after rain and cold | April 8, 2025 report from the field on conditions
Celena Hawkins, Beck's Hybrids field agronomist joins me today to check in on the corn crop that was planted prior to inches of rain and a couple mornings of a light frost. Intro 0:00 Podcast 01:17 TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed…
- Herbicides Weed Control and Practices to Reduce Pesticide Failure Risks
Herbicides are one tool in the fight against weeds, however; we need to understand some parts of herbicide management practices to help you succeed. Anything that can increase your chances of killing weeds and harvesting a healthy, economi…
- The Big "N" Question in Corn | Finding the Economic Optimum Rate of Nitrogen for YOUR Farm!
Celena (Kipping) Hawkins and Alex Long who are both Field Agronomists for Beck's Hybrids join me to talk Nitrogen challenges in corn. This is not a new problem, nor is it new in its research and study. However, we want you to understand th…
- Soybean Diseases at Harvest | Discussion about why soybean harvest can be "trashy" & "dirty"
Soybean diseases affect late season stalks and leaves. This can create "trashy" soybeans that are hard to feed through the combine and create a lot of dust and dirt. Scott Dickey and Celena Kipping with Beck's Hybrids join me to discuss th…
- Understanding Soybean "Relative" Maturity | Effects of planting dates on yield and harvest
Soybean yields are affected greatly by plant dates due to placing the plant at a time when it can harvest the highest quality light. Scott Dickey regional agronomy manager with Beck's Hybrids and also Celena, our local Beck's Hybrids agron…
- Soybeans with the mid season diseases, identification, and watching for insects
Soybeans can easily be affected by Sudden Death Syndrome, Brown Stem Rot, Dectes Stem Borer, and Charcoal Rot depending on weather, disease fusarium that is present in the soil, and rain fall. Also, spraying for insects at R3 may hold you…
- Corn late season update on disease and crop potential
Celena and Pierre are with me today to talk about watch outs on late planted corn, late season diseases, crop potential we are seeing in April corn. Call us if you have further questions! TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer. We…
- Corn Fungicide | Thoughts on what to do and what we are seeing
Corn Fungicide thoughts for making decisions to spray or not. TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer. We provide Hybrid Corn Seed, Soybean Seed, and Wheat Seed. Beck's has access to the best genetics and trait technologies from su…
- Soybean Fungicide and Insecticide application 2024 | This one can happen sooner than you think
Celena joins me today to talk about soybeans hitting R3 the sweet spot for fungicide application. R3 is when you have 60% or more of the reproductive nodes in place. This application timing can greatly mean the difference between profitabi…
- Soybean Planting | Population levels through June
Celena Kipping joins me to discuss where we need to be with soybean populations in June. A quick update from the field from TOP Ag Services LLC TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer. We provide Hybrid Corn Seed, Soybean Seed, and…
- Spraying Liberty® Herbicide Successfully | Crop Management Strategies using Glufosinate
This product has many strengths. They include weeds with little resistance, non volatile, and exceptional broad spectrum on weed species. However; this contact herbicide is subject to one of the great mysteries of plant physiology, the pro…
- Nitrogen Management Steps in our Current Conditions | Responding to the strengths and risks
Celena joins me to talk about nitrogen loss potential in corn this year with all the rain in May. It is important to remember we had a dry winter and that has reduced losses greatly. Corn nitrogen will now be dependent on the form that was…
- Corn & Soybean Crops in Saturated or Flooded Soils | What to Look for in Crop Health & Viability
Are you affected by too much rain? Have saturated soils caused you to worry about your crop? The late April storms and rain have released torrential water flow across much of the landscape. Scott Dickey joins me to show us what it looks li…
- Management of the young corn crop | Early Weather, pests, and fertilizer topics
Intro 0:00 Podcast 0:10 TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer. We provide Hybrid Corn Seed, Soybean Seed, and Wheat Seed. Beck's has access to the best genetics and trait technologies from suppliers worldwide. We are the first to…
- Our #1 Priority in Soil Colloids | Basic Indicators in making economical decisions in soil chemistry
Beck's Hybrids Regional Agronomy Manager Jon Skinner explains what our #1 Priorities are in making practical yet economical decisions in determining what we can work on as it relates to our soil fertility, health, and chemistry. The health…
- Planning the Planting of Corn / Soybeans | Spring 2024
Celena joins me to discuss planting conditions and how to work with risk of cold weather injury on an expensive crop of corn or soybeans. Intro 0:00 Podcast 01:17 TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer. We provide Hybrid Corn Seed…
- Soil Base Saturation | Jon Skinner speaks of Ca, K, & Mg that occupy these exchange sites
This topic can be fun as it helps us find a simple way to easily assess our fertility levels on the nutrients that are held by the soil's exchange sites. Jon speaks about the value of finding a common sense assessment of what ratios are op…
- Understanding Soil pH, Buffer pH, and its Cation Exchange Capacity | Agronomist Jon Skinner speaks
The water pH, buffer pH, and CEC number on a soil test can tell you where you are at, what you have to work with, and Jon helps us understand why it's important and what we can do about the numbers. Regional Agronomy Manager Jon Skinner co…
- Fungicide Updates on Corn & Soybeans | How do planes vs drones vs ground compare with what products?
Beck's Hybrids Regional Agronomy Manager Scott Dickey and Beck's Hybrids Agronomist Celena Kipping for the state of Missouri join me on this podcast to share this important message about Practical Farm Research numbers on applicator equipm…
- Farming with Biologicals | What does Beck's Hybrids PFR say is working with microbe products?
Celena Kipping & Scott Dickey, Missouri Agronomist and the Regional Agronomy Manager respectively; join me with this important and popular topic of biological products being used and how they are benefiting and where they are not, as well…
- Starter Fertilizer on Soybeans | Beck's Hybrids agronomists speak on this PFR study
Beck's Hybrids agronomist Celena Kipping & Regional Agronomy Manager Scott Dickey weigh in on this PFR study. Is it worth considering starter fertilizer on your planter for soybeans? Does nitrogen and sulfur work dribbled or injected besid…
- Was 2023 crop season worth analyzing? | Weather & variability caution us on results from last year
Regional Agronomy Manager Scott Dickey and Agronomist for Western Missouri Celena Kipping join me to discuss the variability of weather patterns, their unconventional effect on crop results and stress. If data in a highly variable year is…
- ALS (Acetolactate Synthase Inhibitors) Chemistries | Successful applications of this chemical SOA
Celena Kipping, agronomist for SW Missouri and SE Kansas joins me today to talk about the Site of Action (SOA) 2 chemicals. This large chemical family uses a mode of action that inhibits the synthesis of amino acids in the plant. These bui…
- Denitrification of the Soil | Deep Dive into why this occurs and best practices to reduce this risk
The nitrogen nutrient is a challenging topic due to a variety of factors that change its bonding to the soil The nitrogen cycle also changes in its physical and chemical form. This creates nitrogen loss risks, lack of availability to the p…
- Dectes Stem Borer in Soybeans | A little seen insect that burrows inside soybean stems
Celena Kipping agronomist for SW Missouri/SE Kansas joins me to talk about Dectes Stem Borer, a pesky insect that hides in the soybean plant for most of its larva stage. Celena covers management practices before and after to help you under…
- Charcoal Rot in Soybeans | A Disease that flourishes in drought and heat
Celena Kipping, agronomist for SW MO/SE KS joins me today to talk about Charcoal Rot in soybeans. This disease typically impacts drought stressed soybeans that are enduring hot weather. It can greatly affect the grain fill in pods of the u…
- Final Look at Soybeans 2023 & Fertilizer | Yield results surprise us on plant date and populations
Celena Kipping joins me on a final wrap up for results from 2023 soybean growing season. TOP Ag Services is a Beck's Hybrids seed dealer. We provide Hybrid Corn Seed, Soybean Seed, and Wheat Seed. Beck's has access to the best genetics and…
- Looking at Season 2023 for corn and soybeans | Corn vs Drought | Soy plant date / Population vs Pods
This session of the last podcast of the 2023 growing season we analyze some interesting things we observed this past season. We certainly defined some road ditches as it related to weather extremes for our area. Take a look as Celena Kippi…
- ILeVo Trial study from research in 2017
This video covers observations of an ILeVo trial we did in 2017. The plot went on to return an approx 7 bpa advantage where SDS symptoms were present and 1.4 bpa advantage where SDS was not present.
- An Invitation to our Agronomy Hour Sessions! Corn planting depth, soybean population, & more effects
We show what can happen to corn yield when depth is shallow or not consistent, low pop vs high pop soybean affecting node counts, and a visual of the effect of weeds on soybean plant stress with Beck's Hybrids Celena Kipping. Take the Next…
- What is a fully developed node when staging R3 soybeans?
"R3" typically refers to a specific growth stage of the soybean plant. In soybean growth stages, the R3 stage is often known as the "beginning pod" stage, where pods first appear on the nodes of the plant's main stem. During this stage, th…
- Checking corn after pollination window | Making sure grain fill is occurring in your field
This update covers concerns of stress in corn fields. Fields need to be checked to make sure you are on your way with pollination as we enter grain fill. Let me know if you need something or I need to walk with you in your fields. TOP Ag S…