Top Crop

The Next Season Starts Now

As one season ends, planning and hope for the next one begin.

Roots of Resilience

Tough ground, tired people, and stubborn weather showcase farming's resilience.

The Soil Remembers

Harvest reveals which fields forgave mistakes and which ones never forgot.

Farmers Eat Last

Long nights, quick meals, and exhausted crews push through the harvest grind.

The Machine That Feeds Us

Combines, trucks, and grain systems run hard as harvest hits full stride.

Farm Life Unfiltered

Strawberries, livestock, and small moments show farm life beyond row crops.

Heat, Wind, and Willpower

Heat, wind, and stubborn storms turn late-season decisions into pressure cookers.

The Yield Ahead

Kernel counts, pod checks, and tissue tests hint at what harvest may hold.

Rise of the Drones

Drones and airplanes take to the sky, scouting crops and flying fungicide.

Data in the Dirt

Test plots and data-driven decisions shape how the next acres get farmed.

Fields of Opportunity

Spray windows, stand counts, and improving fields hint at big yield potential.

Beans or Bust

Soybeans take the spotlight as growers debate spacing, nodulation, and product choices.

Where the Work Begins

Breakdowns, repairs, and long days set the tone for the real work ahead.

Soil: It's Alive

Fertility plans, soil tests, and product mixes bring living dirt into focus.

Life Between the Rows

Different planter setups chase perfect depth and spacing in challenging early fields.

Planting for the Future

Farmers launch a new season, testing bold planting strategies and products.

The Yellow Gold Rush

Ohio is the last state to wrap on harvest. It's no easy task getting all the grain out of the fields. Both Atley and the Fites do it in style as they are both on par to finish harvest earlier than most other years.

The Eye Of The Storm

Hurricane Helene devastates North Carolina and Hedrick loses everything. He reflects on what could have been and talks about what he did learn. Luepkes finishes up the year in Illinois.

Field of Dreams

When you try something new and things don't go just right, you have to improvise. Luepkes does just that in his relay crop experiment while Galloway is well underway with harvest in Arkansas.

Rooted in Secrets

Farmers must uncover hidden agronomy secrets to succeed. With Hedricks knowledge of soil, nutrients, and crop rotation, he can keep a crop growing strong. Atley begins to harvest corn in Ohio.

The Cotton Chronicles

From planting the seeds to picking the harvest, cotton is the profitable, but high maintenance star of this season. Galloway faces the technical and practical challenges of producing the highest quality cotton, all while racing against time and still managing rice, corn and beans. Top Crop stops by...

The Cornfield Conundrum

Corn is the focus, but things aren't as straightforward as they seem. Dan must navigate crop diseases, unpredictable weather, and limited resources to ensure a bountiful harvest. Special AgX visits Luepkes while Hedrick has a field day and checks some corn.

Apple of My Eye

Top Crop takes a special look into some specialty crops with a quick visit to some local apple, pumpkin, watermelon, and sweet corn farms.

A Crop Above

Fite work on spraying some crops and get a visit from a special guest. Luepkes checks beans and stays busy on the farm.

Grain to Glory

It's all about knowing what the crop is doing on a nutrient level. Whether it's wheat, corn, or soybeans, Dan closely monitors the crop in order to know how to feed it. Atley gets a visit from AgX and sends the airplanes to the fields.

Rice and Shine

In this water-heavy episode, Galloway takes a closer look at rice farming. Timing, irrigation, and soil management all play a critical role in this episode as he works towards a profitable rice crop. Hedrick takes a look at some corn and tests the new soil probe.

Green Thumbs, Red Faces

Mistakes are made, and egos are bruised in this episode that brings a little joy in a tough year. Atley dances while Luepkes does some tissue tests with Brad, the agronomist.

Wheat Wars

Wheat is what works. The Fites / Manns start planting and check some early planted wheat. From planting to harvest, farmers must face the challenges of unpredictable weather, pests, and timing to produce the highest yield. Hedrick visits the lab and gets a visit from AgX.

The Battle for the Fields

With multiple crops on the line, it's a showdown across the fields. Galloway is growing corn, beans, cotton, wheat and rice. He is set to spread risk and stay profitable This episode is all about strategy, stamina, and the sheer will to stay diverse.

A Growing Rivalry

As the crops begin to sprout, the sun heats up. Hedrick gets a visit from a special guest and flies some drones while Dan demos a drone, plants, and checks crops.

The Root of the Matter

It's time to dig deep-literally. Atley finishes up all planting for the season but ends with a hydraulic breakdown. Luepkes does an aerial drone application, works the cattle, reviews some products and tests the soil with a new fancy probe.

Seeds of Ambition

As the season begins, Hedrick plant the seeds for what will be his most ambitious crop yet. With every farmer gunning for a profitable year, the stage is set for anything to happen. The Fite crew takes a minute to enjoy the solar eclipse as they wait for a window to plant.

Reflecting

Cory Atley, Russell Hedrick, Dan Luepkes and Shelby Fite talk about the season and what was profitable this year.

The Taste of Victory

Another year comes to a close as harvest finishes up at all the Top Crop farms.

Market Matters

During harvest, the question of when to sell is top of mind. We learn how these farmers market their products.

Harvest Hustle

Time to harvest, the yields are coming in and it's time to see what paid this year.

Cornucopia Chronicles

Let's take a deep look into the corn fields as the harvest season gets underway.

Pests and Plagues

It is almost harvest season and checking the yields and shape of the fields is on the top of the agenda.

Sun, Soil, Success

Some of the contributing factors to yield are discussed in this informative episode.

Weathering The Storm

A storm has many faces and lack of rain plus less solar radiation results in a yield storm for one farmer.

Wheat Wonders

Dan Luepkes harvests his double crop wheat and checks some fields.

Airborne Acres

It's management season, and covering the crops from above is a crucial element to most operations.

Soybean Saga

Russell Hedrick dives deep into his soybean fields and some of the management practices he uses.

Fields of Dreams

Russell Hedrick takes a look at open pollenated corn and more while Cory Atley gets a visit from one of his top nutrient providers and dusts the crop.

From Seed To Sprout

Shelby checks on some corn plants in different soils types while Dan talks jar testing, checks on wheat, beans and unplugs a tile.

Beneath The Surface

Russell Hedrick takes a deep dive under the surface with more soil tests. Cory Atley finishes planting and takes a look at some early planted fields.

Soil's Secret

Top Crop is an all-new series about four of the best farmers in the world—Dan Luepkes, of Oregan, Illinois; Cory Atley, of Cedarville, Ohio; Shelby Fite, of Jackson Center, Ohio; Russell Hedrick, of Hickory, North Carolina—reveals what it takes for them to make a profitable crop.

The Academy

Four farmers set out to become more profitable on their farms. It starts with good soil, patience, a strong planter setup.