The cab door is open. Apply for a chance to tell your farm's story as part of DTN's ongoing project called View From the Cab.
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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That cloud of black behind the combine might be more than dust. It's nature's way of degrading plant tissue.
More From This Author
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From Tragedy to Legacy
Farmer's daughter urges others to plan for the unexpected. Tara Barrett-Duzan went from being a TV news anchor to helping keep the Hume, Illinois, farm in the family after the passing of her brother and father.
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2025 NCGA Corn Yield Contest Results
The 61st year of the National Corn Growers Association Yield Contest announcement of 2025 winners showcases some big yields in a rollercoaster weather year and brings another win for David Hula with a 572.2589 bpa entry.
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Dryland National Spring Wheat Category Winner
Drought conditions reversed and rains brought a bumper spring wheat crop and a winning entry of 147.81 bushels per acre for grower Nick Pfaff, who farms with his family near Bismarck, North...
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Lessons on the Importance to Plan for the Unexpected
Farmer's daughter urges others to plan for the unexpected.
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Production Blog: What's Your View
The cab door is open. Apply for a chance to tell your farm's story as part of DTN's ongoing project called View From the Cab.
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Irrigated Spring Wheat Category Winner Bins 204.83 bpa
Planting spring wheat in the fall gave Friehe Farms a jump start that pushed yields to 204.83 bpa in 2025.
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View From the Cab
DTN's 2025 View From the Cab farmers put the crop season in perspective as they plan for another year.
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Sort Soybean Seed by SCN Resistance
The best way to manage soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is to rotate varieties with different resistance genetics; but first you need to know what is in that variety.
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View From the Cab
Harvest rolls on for DTN's View from the Cab farmers who hail from Alabama and Nebraska. This week they tackle topics of property insurance and what makes a good day.
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Production Blog: Why Crops Turn Black
That cloud of black behind the combine might be more than dust. It's nature's way of degrading plant tissue.
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These Children's Books Make Reading Fun
This grouping of children's books makes learning fun and interesting.
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Production Blog: Nematodes
It's National Nematode Day. What do you know about this yield threat?
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View From the Cab
Harvest is underway in Nebraska and finishes up in Alabama for DTN's View From the Cab farmers.
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Production Blog: SCN Thrive in Drought
Soybean cyst nematodes are always a threat, but dry conditions increase the likelihood they will be troublesome in 2026 and increase the need for testing this fall.
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Seed Inputs and Insights - 6
Land-grant universities have relied on agricultural experimental fields, some nearly 150 years old, as foundations to gather research to improve farming practices and sustainability.
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Seed Inputs and Insights - 5
Major seed and trait companies invest heavily in R&D to provide farmers with advanced traits and seed genetics. Here are highlights of new products expected to hit the market soon.
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View From the Cab
The season keeps moving ahead for DTN's View From the Cab farmers from Alabama and Nebraska. Harvest is still the topic of choice and this week they discuss service trucks which help them get the job done.