The Ag PhD Crop Scouting Reports are supplied by contributors to Hefty Seed Co., based in Baltic, South Dakota. Find more online at www.agphd.com and www.heftyseed.com.
ARKANSAS
Augusta, AR
Corn is early R5 in the area I was in today with mild to moderate (what I call easy to find) levels of southern rust. With temperatures in the low to mid-90s, that stuff could really get going. I just want to remind folks that the issue is not a yield hit with southern rust at this stage, it is about plant health and the corn still standing at harvest. When corn gets on the ground, you want to talk about yield loss – I’ve seen it and it isn’t pretty. It is not too late; if you have to dry your corn down in the field, you would still do well to get some fungicide out. — Joey York
ILLINOIS
Georgetown, IL
Continuing to tissue sample throughout the reproductive stages and the rest of the growing season can give you valuable information about your nutrient uptake. This can show you what nutrients you run short on this year so you can address the problem next year in your soil fertility program. — Tyler Smith
Princeton, IL
While scouting this week, I noticed this ragweed being attacked by Japanese beetles. I saw this as a small positive of their arrival here. I wonder if they could be trained to eat only weeds? Anyway, if seeing this picture makes you think of negatives of the arrival of Japanese beetles, then consider applying 4-6 ounces of Hero insecticide if your field has reached economic thresholds of these coppery pests. — Mike Denton
IOWA
Sheldon, IA
Soybean fields that have already been sprayed should be scouted frequently to see if a new flush of weeds is coming. Cadet and Cobra can be tankmixed with Liberty or Roundup (if the beans are still not past the labeled window) and will perform much better when weed height is 4 inches or smaller. — Adam Sauer
MINNESOTA
Fairmont, MN
As I have been out in fields, I’ve noticed that aphids are starting to show up around wet/woody areas. They are not in high thresholds yet, but it’s a good idea to keep your fields in check and get them sprayed before yield damage occurs from large populations. — Sam Geistfeld
Hancock, MN
Iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) has been worse than average this year in many fields. Soygreen applied in-furrow has shown very positive results on acres with IDC issues. It can also be applied foliar, but in-furrow has shown the most consistent benefit. If you are seeing IDC, or any other issues in your fields, consider soil sampling this fall to learn more about what issues may be present. — Aaron Giese
While you are out checking for soybean aphids, bring your shovel. It’s a good time to carefully dig up some roots on soybeans. Nitrogen fixing nodules should be pink inside and much larger than soybean cyst nematodes. I am finding a dozen or so nematode cysts on roots of tolerant varieties. I would expect many more nematode cysts on susceptible varieties and some visual stress to the plant. First, scout the areas that historically yield less and where the rows have not filled in as well. To get a better idea on severity, a soil sample needs to be sent to a lab. — Adam Gibson
Janesville, MN
I’ve seen a small number of aphids in one area field. Keep an eye out for them while scouting your fields. — Josh Bruns
LeRoy, MN
Septoria leaf spot is very prevalent throughout the area. The lower leaves of the soybean plants get infected, turn yellow, and fall off. The treatment is fungicide. It won’t fix the already infected leaves, but it will stop it from spreading. — Grant Lunning
Olivia, MN
If you have volunteer corn that you have not sprayed, now would the time to get that done. More than likely the corn is getting tall and you will have to use the high end of the labeled rate. Do not forget to add a surfactant such as crop oil. — John Scheibel
Thief River Falls, MN
We had some strong winds and some hail damage around our area recently. Be sure to check your fields for damage. A fungicide application could help plant health if there was injury to your crop. — Jordan Swanson
If you had storms move through your area recently, make sure to check your fields for damage. If you find damage, applying a fungicide could help improve plant health. — Rachel Klein
Winthrop, MN
Soybeans in our area are starting to flower, so now would be a good time to apply a foliar micronutrient. Products such as TJ Micromix can be applied with a herbicide application. — Dean Christiansen
Whether you got hit by the hail or are seeing flowering going on in your soybeans, now is a great time to look at putting a fungicide on your beans. We have seen the best return on investment from fungicide at flowering time in soybeans. Also, the hail that hurt a few of the fields will make the plants susceptible to taking in diseases through the injured areas. — Matt Vogel
We’re starting to inch closer to bug season. Keep in mind when you’re spraying for aphids to stay away from any of the neonicotinoids. If there are any bees in the field, the neonics won’t kill the bees right away. Instead, they could potentially end up flying back to the hive and contaminating the hive. We recommend limiting neonics to seed treatment options so we don’t affect the bee population. — Tyler Gasow
MISSOURI
Bertrand, MO
If you are looking for an insecticide to spray inside and outside your home, a product like Tempo SC Ultra 240 mL would be a good choice. Tempo has a very low use rate and should be applied monthly to control various insects. — Albert Duenne
Hayti, MO
Many growers are taking plant tissue samples this year to help manage nutrient needs. For those following a schedule, it may be helpful to make a note of the weather conditions at the time of sample as well as the weather since the last sample. Write this information on the sample reports for your future reference, analysis, and planning. While it is ideal to take samples at the same time of day throughout the season, weather fluctuations and growth stages will impact nutrient levels. — Danny Stevens
MONTANA
Sidney, MT
Currently we are experiencing some of the driest conditions since the 1980s. Without heat or water, we must do the absolute best job of farming that we can. As we all know we have the heat, but we don’t have the water and plant activity is very low. Spraying early in the morning is often the best as temperatures are cool and there may be more plant activity due to these lower temperatures. When it gets hot it’s best to shut the spraying down as the plants may not take in the chemical. This plant shutdown can happen in a very short period of time. — Chet Hill
NEBRASKA
Laurel, NE
Now is the time to start thinking about fungicide application on corn. If you are going to do it, scout your fields as this is also a good time to put in some insecticide, as there are many inexpensive choices. I would probably choose something with bifenthrin or Capture as it also controls spider mites in our area. — Kody Urwiler
West Point, NE
Be scouting your crops for insects. We have been finding Japanese beetles. Kendo at 3.84 ounces is effective and inexpensive. — Jared Steffensmeier
NORTH DAKOTA
Hillsboro, ND
We are almost past the point, and are past it in a lot of cases, for spraying XtendiMax or Engenia. Make sure you understand the label – after R1 stage in the soybean plant we can no longer spray dicamba products. — Ryan Pierce
Webster, ND
We’re getting questions about safened dicamba products and how late they are labeled to be used. While we like to use them by 5 collar corn ideally (when weeds are small and before the growing point emerges), both DiFlexx and Status can be used on corn up to 36 inches or V10, whichever comes first. — Joe Ramer
SOUTH DAKOTA
Aberdeen, SD
I know you aren’t thinking about white mold with the dry conditions, but with high humidity, it could still happen. Now would be the time to help prevent it. The best option is 7.5 oz/acre of Endura, but there are cheaper choices that could still be effective enough. Last year we saw as high as a 20 bu/acre advantage with Endura. With smaller beans and a different weather outlook this year, some farmers are using Domark on their soybeans as they begin flowering. — Justin Hanson
Centerville, SD
We’ve started to see leaf damage and bugs in soybeans. One pest we’ve seen in soybeans around V3-V4 is the thistle caterpillar. The larvae will web together the leaves and they’ll consume a fair amount of tissue. You can spray the areas that have a high percentage of defoliation, but most damage is found near field edges. Throw in some Brigade at 6.4 oz/acre in your tankmixes, especially if bug numbers are reaching max thresholds. — Peter Strom
Freeman, SD
The soybeans in the area are starting to flower. R1 to R3 is a great time to apply fungicide to protect the flowers and the plants as well. Priaxor at 2 oz/acre is a popular and effective product farmers are gravitating towards the last couple of years. It has 2 modes of action, one of which is the SDHI fungicide Xemium. — Lee Dockendorf
Gettysburg, SD
If you are looking for a safe way to take care of spiders and crickets around the house, try Tempo. — Kyle Hawkinson
Kimball, SD
Killing volunteer corn in soybeans is tougher when it is hot and dry. You need to use crop oil in order to get the chemical into the waxy leaf cuticle. NIS works fine in ideal situations but now is not one of those times. — Mike Erickson
Watertown, SD
We are getting to the point in most areas for spraying the fungicide on soybeans which is the R2-R3 stages. The product I’ve seen used the most over the last couple years has been Priaxor at 4 oz/acre. — Jack Beutler
We are getting a little late for Flexstar now on the ground going back into corn next year. There is a 10-month rotation back to corn and a 4-month rotation back to wheat. Now would be a good time to consider a different option that has no rotational restrictions like Cobra. — Beau Wensing
Farmers are reporting some bean leaf beetles, thistle caterpillars, and even a few soybean aphids starting to show up in soybean fields. You can kill the beetles with a lower rate of insecticide, but if you also have some aphids and want to kill them, too, you’ll need to run with a much higher rate. The good news is the high rate may only cost a couple bucks total. — Russ Werning
WASHINGTON
Quincy, WA
I am hearing of bumper wheat yields, but with that, if growers didn’t control or at least suppress their cheatgrass, it is having a bumper crop too. That means a large volume of cheatgrass seed to deal with next crop year. In our wheat-fallow rotation, if spring wheat isn’t a good option for your farm, take a hard look at Clearfield Plus wheat varieties; they have some top yielders as well as having the option to apply Beyond to control tough grassy weeds like cheatgrass. — Devin Moon
