That cloud of black behind the combine might be more than dust. It's nature's way of degrading plant tissue.
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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It's National Nematode Day. What do you know about this yield threat?
More From This Author
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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.
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View From the Cab
Catch up with DTN's View From the Cab farmers to learn where harvest sits and what happens when family demands collide with busy times.
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Seed Inputs and Insights - 2
Test drives aren't just for pickup trucks. Properly designed and executed on-farm trials help farmers figure out what works best on their acres.
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Production Blog: Black Layer
Here's why black layer means game over on building dry matter in a corn crop.
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View From the Cab
It's plot tour time in Nebraska and harvest time in Alabama for DTN's View From the Cab farmers.
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Historic Experiment Fields Offer Invaluable Insights
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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On-Farm Trials Guide Decisions
Conducting your own on-farm tests is a good way to determine what crop inputs perform the best on your operation. But test plots must be correctly set up and analyzed to get accurate results.
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Product Pipeline Offers Enhanced Genetics and Traits
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
Harvest gears up in Alabama and irrigation is flowing again in Nebraska. DTN View From the Cab farmers also discuss bin safety and why farm dogs matter.
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Production Blog
Time to head to the field and get a read on the milk line. Farmers report it is moving quickly this year.
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View From the Cab
The corn crop is drying down in Alabama and cooking along in Nebraska this week as farmers report in as part of DTN's View From the Cab series.
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Production Blog
Wondering why ears are missing kernels? Here are six reasons tip back happens in corn from Burrus Seed Agronomist Dana Harder.
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2025 Digital Yield Tour - Indiana
2025 DTN Digital Yield Tour estimates Indiana corn at 206.1 bushels per acre and soybeans at 60.5 bpa.