It's time to see if you can spot tar spot in cornfields.
Pamela Smith
Crops Technology Editor
Pamela Smith joined DTN/Progressive Farmer staff as Crops Technology Editor in 2012. She previously was seeds and technology editor for Farm Journal Media. In addition to writing, reporting and photography, Pamela served as the writing coach for the magazine staff. An Illinois native, she started her career as a field editor for Prairie Farmer magazine and has freelanced for a multitude of farm, food and travel magazines.
Pamela is a two-time winner of the American Agriculture Editor's Association Writer of the Year honors. In 2009, she received the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism award for a series on soybean rust. She was the first agricultural journalist to receive that coveted prize, often referred to as the Pulitzer of business journalism. In 2011, she received a second Neal award as part of a team covering the legacy of passing down the farm through the generations. She has also been named the journalist of the year by the American Phytopathological Society (plant pathologists) and the Weed Science Society of America. She was awarded a national food writing award for her profile of Father Dominic Garramone, a bread-baking priest. Four generations of her family farm in central Illinois.
Recent Blogs by Author
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There are dangers along roadsides and field edges in the form of wild parsnip and poison hemlock this time of year. Here's how to identify the bad guys.
More From This Author
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View From the Cab
The DTN View From the Cab farmers continue to eye the weather and the challenges, but sweet corn makes things better as long as you can keep it away from the critters.
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Production Blog
It's time to see if you can spot tar spot in cornfields.
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View From the Cab
Heavy rainfall patterns have complicated life recently for DTN's View From the Cab farmers reporting in from Nebraska and Alabama.
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Rural Reading Roundup
A book can change the trajectory of a life and maybe even turn a child into a budding ag meteorologist.
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View From the Cab
Weather rules the day whether it comes in buckets or a dry spell. DTN View From the Cab farmers from Alabama and Nebraska report on how the season is shaping up.
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View From the Cab
Field operations were in at full throttle this week for View From the Cab farmers reporting from Nebraska and Alabama. For Father's Day, they also tackle the topic of farming with family.
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Get Ready to Tackle Tar Spot
Start scouting for tar spot in corn around the V8 growth stage. Treatment decisions are guided by when the disease appears and how fast it moves in the leaf canopy.
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View From the Cab
Weather continues to throw wrenches into operations for DTN's View From the Cab farmers reporting on the season from Alabama and Nebraska.
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View From the Cab
Rain continues to hamper planting in Alabama but came as welcome relief to Nebraska. Farmers from both states are reporting in each week as part of DTN's View From the Cab project.
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View From the Cab
Weather is taking center stage this week for Alabama and Nebraska farmers reporting in as part of DTN's View From the Cab series.
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View From the Cab
It's wet in Alabama and dry in Nebraska, where farmers report weekly as part of DTN's View From the Cab series.
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Watch Corn Rev Up at V6
Summer heat puts corn on a fast track. Knowing when to take a closer look can help avoid yield roadblocks.
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View From the Cab
Moms make a difference and so does getting the crop in by Mother's Day, according to DTN's View From the Cab farmers reporting in from Alabama and Nebraska.
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Watch Fields for Black Cutworm Activity
Reports of black cutworm moths being present in the Midwest are already flying. Here are four things to do to protect your crop.
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View From the Cab
Meet Ethan Zoerb. The Litchfield, Nebraska, farmer will report in throughout the 2025 growing season as part of DTN's View From the Cab series.
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Best Blog of the Week
As weather narrows planting windows, farmers must think about what gets planted first.
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Production Blog
As weather narrows planting windows, farmers must think about what gets planted first.
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View From the Cab
Meet Alabama farmer Stuart Sanderson who will be reporting each week for DTN's View From the Cab series.
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View From the Cab
Follow along as we head to Alabama and Nebraska this summer to follow farmers through the crop season.