The matrix is more complex with soybeans. You might have 10 fields and have to select six different varieties to deal with all the variables. Soybeans are also more sensitive than corn to the environment during seed fill.

Remember to look at your own pasture before looking across the fence.

Every farmer, whether he has 50 or 50,000 acres, should have a small experiment on his farm with replicated strips across the field. The data he collects can be used with other trial information to help choose effective varieties.

I've always been fascinated with being able to detect a minuscule amount of a contaminant in a complex matrix, the proverbial needle in a haystack. With LC-MS/MS technology we can detect substances that were previously very difficult or impossible to analyze. It is comforting to be able to tell people with certainty that our food has very few residues and that the ones we find are at very low levels.

It's not uncommon for a complex investigation to last six to 18 months.

What is the Matrix?