Predictive Crop Performance Helping Make NDSU Breeding Programs More Efficient

Oct 30, 2025

Food sustainability is a crucial component of the North Dakota State University Food, Energy and Water Security initiative, and Predictive Crop Performance is a way to ensure those public sector crops are grown now and in the future.

Predictive Crop Performance is defined as the use of data, modeling and technology to forecast how a crop will grow, develop and yield in a specific environment. The goal of this and other initiatives, such as the Big Data Initiative at NDSU, is to collect data, set up experiments and develop PCP tools to ensure that public crops are sustainable against current and future abiotic and biotic stresses.

“The long-term goal of this project is to utilize Predictive Crop Performance tools to ensure North Dakota's public sector crops are resilient,” said Richard Horsley, NDSU plant sciences head and barley breeder.

Public sector crops are those where private industry does not invest significantly in breeding efforts. At NDSU, these include barley, dry beans, flax, oats and pulse crops, Horsley said.

Source : ndsu.edu

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.