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
How quickly things can change! A lot of my guys have started the water on the corn and more will soon follow. I’m happy to see them break from planting beans and flooding rice to irrigate the corn because corn doesn’t do well with a bad day. I’ve heard a couple of different farmers say their moisture was getting iffy on being able to get beans up. — Joey York
Irrigation is beginning on corn. Most corn is approaching tassel or already there. Now is a good time to make plans for fungicide applications. There is not a lot of disease pressure at this time due to lower humidity and slightly below average temperatures, but consider the plant health benefits and protection after pollination through grain fill. — Perry Galloway
ILLINOIS
Georgetown, IL
Many farmers are still going to spray fungicides this year simply for the plant health benefits. We suggest doing an application in corn at VT. In soybeans, we suggest R3. This is what we have found to be the ideal timing for corn and soybeans. — Tyler Smith
Princeton, IL
Post spraying is off and running in our area, and now is a good time to make sure you have at least 1 gallon of compatibility agent on the spray trailer at all times! That way, if a tank load starts to gel up, throw in the compatibility agent to get the product out. I know that the goal is to never use it, but for just a few dollars it can be a cheap investment to have on hand. — Matt Denton
I have noticed some volunteer corn coming in soybean fields. This yield robbing “weed” in soybeans can be killed easily if sprayed early in the season. Se-Cure is a great choice with the rate dependent on the size of corn you are trying to kill. You should bump the rate a couple ounces when spraying with Liberty or dicamba products (if labeled) as these products seem to have an antagonistic effect. Be safe! — Mike Denton
Continue staging your corn crop before spraying. Several fields I have looked at are quickly approaching 11 inches tall, which is the cutoff point for applying several post products. — Mike Denton
IOWA
Rockwell, IA
When spraying Flexstar or any contact herbicide, apply 20 gallons of water/acre for best results. Better coverage is key to success. — Tim Nuehring
Sheldon, IA
We are seeing individual corn plants falling over in fields lately. This is due to rootless corn syndrome. This happens when the corn is very dry from V2 to V4. The problem can also be enhanced by shallow planting depths, compacted soils, and loose or cloddy soil. The young roots die due to the root tips drying out prior to successful root establishment. Rains can promote root growth and row cultivation may also help by putting more soil around the base of the plant to help with support. — Adam Sauer
MINNESOTA
Fairmont, MN
Many people are looking to add some residual to their post-emerge soybean spray. There are a couple of good options out there, but you need to be aware of the soybean growth stage for timing. Zidua needs to be applied by the third trifoliate; Dual needs to be applied by the fifth trifoliate. The product with the biggest window is Warrant, which can be applied all the way up to R2, which is full bloom. Make sure you are monitoring the growth stage. If you need to switch products, it can be done; just make sure that you don’t apply something off label to the beans. — Mike Bates
With moisture and heat in the forecast, the corn and beans will be growing fast. One thing to scout your fields for after the first trifoliate is iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC). Typically, you will see green veins with yellowing in between. However, soybean cyst nematodes can turn the plant a yellowish/greenish color, too, so make sure you scout and take tissue tests to know what issue you actually have. With soybean cyst nematode, you will often see yellowing on the outside of the soybean leaves first. — Sam Geistfeld
Hancock, MN
There is confirmed glyphosate-resistant waterhemp, giant ragweed, and common ragweed in this area. Do not rely on the glyphosate in the tank to do much of anything to these weeds. A full rate of the correct conventional herbicide along with the full rate of surfactant is needed to knock these biotypes out. — Adam Gibson
With a ten-month rotational restriction to corn, the end of Flexstar’s application window is quickly approaching. Flexstar carryover can badly injure corn, so it’s important to follow label guidelines. — Aaron Giese
Janesville, MN
If your soybeans received hail lately, delay using fungicide until your crop has time to recover from the stress. — Ray Johnson
I was in a field that had areas where the corn was almost completely flattened. It looks bad right now, but give it a week and the plants should start straightening out. There will probably be some goosenecking on the bottom of the stalk, so keep that in mind if you’re planning to sidedress or spray. — Josh Bruns
LeRoy, MN
Are you looking to add some residual to your Flexstar application? There are pre-mixes like Prefix and Warrant Ultra, or you can add some Outlook to your Flexstar, as well. They all have different adjuvant requirements. Warrant Ultra needs 1 gal/100 MSO; Prefix would need COC; and adding Outlook to Flexstar would require you to cut the COC in half because of the amount of oil in the Outlook. — Grant Lunning
Marshall, MN
Based on the new regrowth I’ve seen on a few alfalfa fields, now is the time to go apply a fungicide and an insecticide. Sweep net testing and proper identification of insects should help you determine what insecticide you should use. Declare or Kendo works well for most alfalfa-chewing insects. Headline is a great choice for the fungicide. — Dave Timmerman
Olivia, MN
A grower called thinking that he had sprayer contamination when spraying his Xtend soybeans because they were a little droopy less than 12 hours after spraying them. This is not a reason to panic. Dicamba can make some varieties droop after application; the bean will come out of it and be just fine. — John Scheibel
I was in a garden and noticed some beetles in the potatoes. Check your garden for bugs and spray if you need to. Asana XL at 3 to 5 oz. is a good option. — Tony Hagen
Thief River Falls, MN
When tissue sampling soybeans less than 12 inches tall, you will need to take all of the aboveground portion to be sent in for analysis. — Rachel Klein
With first cutting of alfalfa mostly wrapped up, now would be a good time to soil sample to see what your soil might be lacking. Accessing your soil’s needs will allow you to make a timely fertilizer application to give your crop enough nutrients for the second and third cuttings. — Jordan Swanson
Winthrop, MN
If you want to keep weeds down around your buildings and fences, you can use Pramitol 25E as a soil sterilant. Be careful to avoid runoff as this will stay in the soil for up to three years. — Dean Christiansen
Remember when you’re spraying Flexstar or a generic version, there is a 10-month rotational restriction to corn. If you’re going to be spraying it, I would suggest on getting it sprayed sooner rather than later. — Tyler Gasow
We are getting to the point in the season when it becomes even more important to look at rotational restrictions before heading out to the field. Many popular products have 9- or 10-month restrictions when switching crops. Products with Callisto in them have a 10-month rotation to soybeans; products with FirstRate have a 9-month restriction into corn; and products with Flexstar have a 10-month rotation into corn. — Matt Vogel
MISSOURI
Bertrand, MO
Wheat harvest is nearly 80% complete in our area. Reports indicate that yields remain strong in the 80 – 100 bushels/acre range. — Albert Duenne
MONTANA
Sidney, MT
I’ve been getting a few calls on controlling marestail and narrowleaf hawksbeard. Options for wheat in-crop include tank mixes: Affinity Broadspec + 2,4-D, Goldsky, Starane Flex, Quelex, or Talinor. On some of these herbicides we need to watch the crop rotation interval. Otherwise in the fall while spraying glyphosate, the best options are tankmixing with Sharpen, 2,4-D and Banvel. Panoflex is also another option with glyphosate. — Chet Hill
Laurel, NE
If you’re planning on using Flexstar on your soybeans, you have about 2 weeks to get it applied by the 1st of July to lessen carryover risk and respect the 10 month rotational restriction. — Rusty Reifenrath
NORTH DAKOTA
Hillsboro, ND
Farmers in the area have started spraying cereal crops with a flag leaf application of fungicide for disease prevention and, based on past history, a nice return on investment. Priaxor, Preemptor, Fortix, or Stratego YLD are the most popular options. This will not take care of head scab but it will increase kernel size, which in return will create more yield. — Ryan Pierce
Hurdsfield, ND
Some of the early pre herbicide applications in soybeans are starting to let weeds through. Scout your fields to determine if they should be sprayed or spot sprayed to keep weeds under control. — Emily Kline
Lisbon, ND
Make sure you are scouting your soybean fields. I have been starting to notice the pre’s beginning to break. You will want to be out soon with a Flexstar, Liberty, Xtendimax, or Engenia application. — Adam Ladwig
Mohall, ND
Deer eat oats, but they don’t like kochia in oats, nor do they like rust. The oats acres contracted with General Mills are recommended to be sprayed with propiconazole. WideMatch is the cure for the kochia; additional tankmix partners can be Brox M, T-Pac, or MCPA. — Ron Hefta
SOUTH DAKOTA
Baltic, SD
Hail has done a good amount of damage to corn and beans in the area. This is the most critical time to spray with fungicides. Disease is much more likely because of damage to the plants, and fungicides help prevent this. The best strategy is to use a combination product that has both preventative and curative qualities. — Rob Fritz
Gettysburg, SD
If you have kochia escapes in soybeans, try Cadet plus crop oil at the recommended rates. — Kyle Hawkinson
Huron, SD
Corn is growing very fast. It is recommended to use a safened dicamba such as DiFlexx or Status on corn past V2. — Norland Hofer
I was recently asked how long a person should wait to spray herbicide after hail/wind damage. This depends on how severe the damage. For slight to moderate damage, 2 to 3 days is probably sufficient for the crop and weeds to recover, but for heavy damage you may want to see active growth before spraying. This may take 5 days or more. — Garritt Dykstra
Kimball, SD
If you have kochia growing in your non-Xtend soybeans, your options aren’t great but you have a chance to control them. West of Highway 281, Cadet or Cobra are your best options. You need good coverage to make these work. Ideally, use 20 gallons/acre for the best results. — Mike Erickson
Watertown, SD
Keep an eye on your corn height if you are spraying atrazine. The max it can be is 12 inches. If you are still applying TripleFlex, the cutoff is 11 inches tall. If you are looking for a little added help on broadleaves in soybeans, you can add Cadet at 0.5 oz. per acre and 1 quart of NIS per 100 to your glyphosate. This can be applied up to fifth trifoliate. — Jack Beutler
There have been reports of alfalfa weevil larvae in alfalfa. Use a good insecticide like generic Warrior or Kendo at a rate of 3.2 oz/a. Also, corn in the Watertown area is reaching that 6- to 8-inch height where Clarity and Banvel chemicals are no longer safe to recommend, so I would use Status instead because it contains a crop safener or switch to an HPPD herbicide like Impact. — Russ Werning
