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.

 

 

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More From This Author

  • Corn that stands 6 to 7 feet tall, left, allows easier in-season access compared to traditional hybrids, right, at Bayer's Jerseyville, Illinois, testing grounds. (Joel Reichenberger)

    Blueprint for Growth: Short-Stature Corn

    Short-stature corn is moving closer to mainstream production as seed companies refine hybrids with strong yields, improved standability, deeper roots and easier in-season management.

  • Corn's wild ancestor is a grass called teosinte. (Pamela Smith)

    We'd Like To Mention

    From teosinte to today's high-yield hybrids, corn is always evolving. Understanding the crop's architectural past offers a blueprint for building greater yield, resilience and innovation.

  • Corn root boxes allow Beck's Hybrids researchers to evaluate root architecture and make management recommendations. (Provided by Beck's Hybrids)

    Blueprint for Growth: Corn Roots

    Growth pattern differences help guide hybrid selection.

  • Doing pre-trip inspections to check things like semi-tires are important on Rath Farms, of Belgrade, Minnesota, especially as harvest looms, said Tyler Rath. (DTN photo by Joel Reichenberger)

    View From the Cab

    With a crop quickly heading toward the finish line, DTN's View From the Cab farmers are preparing to bring in the crop. This week they also talk about cash rents and tending those relationships.

  • Scheduling time away from the phone has been important to Chris Weaver this summer. While an important tool to operate a business these days, the Finksburg, Maryland, farmer finds increasing need to occasionally disconnect. (DTN photo by Joel Reichenberger)

    View From the Cab

    Crops and all the processes to manage them continue to cook along for DTN's View From the Cab farmers reporting from Maryland and Minnesota.

  • Kidney bean harvest starts soon for Tyler Rath, of Belgrade, Minnesota. He's one of the farmers reporting on crop conditions this year as part of DTN's View From the Cab feature.  (DTN photo by Joel Reichenberger)

    View From the Cab

    Rolling into mid-August brings thoughts of harvest for DTN View From the Cab farmers providing observations on the 2026 season.

  • Carroll County in northwest Illinois is forecast to lead the state with an average corn yield of 236.4 bushels per acre (bpa). Lake County in northeast Illinois is projected to have the lowest county average yield at 148.6 bpa. (DTN map by Scott Williams)

    2026 Digital Yield Tour - Illinois

    The 2026 DTN Digital Yield tour estimates Illinois corn at 210.3 bpa and soybeans at 64.7 bpa, but questions remain on how the state will finish.

  • Grow your own help. Chris Weaver (right) first hired Matthew Thompson (left) as a teenager to be drone operator. He's since become a valued member of the farming team. (DTN photo by Joel Reichenberger)

    View From the Cab

    The farmers participating in DTN's View From the Cab series were hustling this week to get acres covered with fungicide and irrigation. Getting it done relies on a reliable list of key employees.

  • Tyler Rath got some corn scouting help from some young assistants this week. The Belgrade, Minnesota, farmer was about to wear himself out irrigating when a much-needed rain found his fields. (Photo courtesy of Tyler Rath)

    View From the Cab

    Weather continues to be a theme for DTN's View From the Cab farmers this season. The Maryland and Minnesota farmers are giving thanks for some timely rains this week.

  • Southern rust hit this field in central Illinois hard in 2025. So far, reports have been lighter in 2026, but farmers are encouraged to keep scouting to guard against losses. (DTN photo by Pamela Smith)

    Best Blog of the Week

    Southern rust reports indicate it might be a lighter year for the disease in 2026, but the first positive detections are being reported and scouting is recommended.

  • Real-time crop tissue testing helps Chris Weaver get a handle on what nutrients are needed and when. He's been testing the system this year on his Finksburg, Maryland, farm. (DTN photo by Joel Reichenberger)

    View From the Cab

    July has brought the heat for DTN's View From the Cab farmers. This week they discuss crop conditions, testing inputs and more.

  • Use lower canopy leaves as an early warning system for tar spot. Monitor disease progression and be prepared to protect the leaves that matter most for yield if disease pressure increases later in the season. (Photo courtesy of Pioneer agronomist Matthew Vandehaar)

    Production Blog: Tar Spot

    "Don't panic, be prepared" is the message from plant pathologists across the Corn Belt as positive detections of tar spot increase.

  • More grain storage is on Tyler Rath's ultimate farm wish list, but the Belgrade, Minnesota, farmer is weighing expenditures carefully in these tight economic times. (DTN photo by Joel Reichenberger)

    View From the Cab

    DTN's 2026 View From the Cab farmers have calmer weather on their wish list after a rough few months. And there's no shortage of farm improvements on their wish lists when the economy turns around.

  • An American flag follows Chris Weaver as he harvests barley. The Finksburg, Maryland, farmer is participating in DTN's View From the Cab series. (DTN photo by Joel Reichenberger)

    View From the Cab

    The freedom to farm in America is something DTN's View From the Cab farmers from Maryland and Minnesota celebrate every day. This week finds the farmers harvesting, spraying, cultivating and baling.

  • A spray paint test is helping assess crop potential after hail hit this Illinois corn field on June 17. (DTN photo by Pamela Smith)

    Production Blog

    Weather events can toss out some harsh realities. Hail is among the worst, and some central Illinois farmers are sorting through what to do next.

  • The best gift for Father's Day for our View From the Cab farmers is being surrounded by family. Left: Tyler Rath and children and his father, Dennis. Right: Chris Weaver and children with his father, Dick. (Photos courtesy of Tyler Rath and Chris Weaver)

    View From the Cab

    Father's Day and full-tilt farming season collide every year. DTN View From the Cab farmers take time to reflect on family and working relationships.

  • This Spotted pig named Rex and four other pigs that need to be trained for the county fair are part of Charlie Weaver's summer routine. Summer, country kids and county fairs are a good learning combination. (Photo courtesy of Chris Weaver)

    View From the Cab

    DTN's View From the Cab farmers have a new work crew to boss now that the kids are home for the summer. This week the farmers talk about keeping kids busy and discuss the latest on crop progress.

  • Dig to discover rootless or floppy corn. It is a condition where crown roots have failed to properly develop. (Photo courtesy of Lance Tarochione)

    Production Blog: Look for Rootless Corn

    Reports of rootless or "floppy" corn are being reported in parts of Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. Farmers who planted mid-May are being urged to scout.