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
Southern Rust is showing up in Jefferson County and we have gotten a report of a little here in Gregory. With this weather rolling up out the gulf, we just as well get the fungicide out for this corn. R2 is close and with this weather, it would be unwise not to treat. — Joey York
ILLINOIS
Georgetown, IL
As wheat continues to turn and the combines will be in the field, look into planning a mid to low 3-group bean if you are looking to double crop. The longer reproduction window on group 3 beans will allow for more pods and a higher yield. Also, up your population from April and May plantings to get the desired stand with the lower emergence from a later plant date. — Tyler Smith
Princeton, IL
I had my first sighting of lightning bugs this week. Some believe that this indicates that rootworm larval hatch is underway; however, according to the University of Illinois, the timings are coincidental and unrelated. Achieving 50% rootworm hatch requires accumulating 684 to 767 degree days since January 1. Most northern Illinois locations should be entering this window soon if they haven’t already. — Mike Denton
IOWA
Rockwell, IA
As our corn fields grow rapidly, so does the chance of fungus, rust, disease, and insect damage. There are many great and reasonable fungicide and insecticide options available to address these issues. The key is scouting, so keep after it! — Wesley Pueggel
Sheldon, IA
When spraying burning herbicides like Flexstar and Cobra on your beans, the burn response you get may vary. The higher the temperature and humidity is, the more crop response you will get. Most farmers don’t want that but it will also help with more activity on your weeds as well. — Adam Sauer
Many farmers this month have been looking for effective and economical post-emerge spray options in soybeans. The challenges range from not wishing to see the crop response from ALS or PPO inhibitors to limited weed spectrum to rotational restrictions for next year’s crop. Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans have been my answer for most of these issues. If Xtend soybean genetics are on your farm, utilize the chemistry, you won’t be disappointed! If they are not, consider them for next year. — Connor Majerus
MINNESOTA
Fairmont, MN
I am seeing a lot of lambsquarters this year. A great, cheap herbicide for lambsquarters is Volta at 1/16 to 1/12 of an oz/acre. — Evan Oberdieck
Hancock, MN
The first pass of fungicide on sugar beets will need to be applied within the next week or so. The first pass recommended is Super Tin and Topsin. — Nathan DuHoux
LeRoy, MN
Sometimes when using Warrant or Warrant Ultra, the soybean plant can get what is called the drawstring effect. This looks like a leaf had a string around it and was pulled like a drawstring bag. The new growth will be fine, but this can happen. — Grant Lunning
Olivia, MN
Be sure to check the requirements if tankmixing any products with Engenia or XtendiMax. — John Scheibel
If you are looking for fungicide products to spray on your sugar beets, you can use Dithane as an EBDC. Dithane is a liquid and can be easier to use than a dry EBDC. — Aaron Spronk
Thief River Falls, MN
Much of the corn in our area is V4 to V6 and is growing fast. If you are looking to apply a fungicide, now would be the time to do so. Products like Priaxor at 4-8 oz/acre and Stratego YLD at 2-5 oz/acre help protect that corn plant against diseases like gray leaf spot, Northern corn leaf blight, and common rust. At this stage, most growers run with a half rate of either product. — Jordan Swanson
If you were in an area where hail storms came through recently and are planning on applying fungicide, is it best to wait a few days until you get new growth in corn and soybeans for better uptake. — Jordan Swanson
Winthrop, MN
If you are purchasing seed from a seed company with programs, make sure to have your grower number updated at your seed and chemical dealer so you will be eligible for any program rebates that you have coming. This can be done easily online. — Dean Christiansen
If you still have to spray your corn, make sure you are out there to see what stage it is at before you spray. For example, products like Callisto and Laudis can be sprayed until the V8 stage. If your corn is further along than that, then we will have to switch to a different option. — Matt Vogel
With the daylight hours shortening, the soybeans will now be triggered to start putting on flowers and enter the reproductive stages. If you have to spray any chemicals that burn the beans, now would be your last good chance to spray those chemicals. If you are spraying any harsh chemicals when the soybeans flower, you are killing off flowers that would soon produce pods and possibly take off yield. — Tyler Gasow
MISSOURI
Bertrand, MO
Frustration is running high in the heartland. Dicamba soybeans can be a great tool in our war on weeds. Several acres of sensitive soybeans have been affected due to volatility issues with the use of labeled products like XtendiMax and Engenia. Farmers have to stop the damage to the neighboring soybean fields. Many farmers want to see a ban on the use of these products in our area at this time. I’ve never seen neighbor against neighbor this bad until now. Hopefully we can address these issues and find a solution to this problem. — Albert Duenne
It would be a good idea to check your fields for insects and damage. I have seen some Japanese beetles present. Mustang Maxx at 3 oz/acre should take care of this pest. — Albert Duenne
MONTANA
Sidney, MT
Even with drought conditions, I am starting to hear about blight in most chickpea fields. The small rain events we are having and dew in the mornings will continue to fire up ascochyta once it has developed. We are approaching or are at bloom in most fields, which is the optimal timing for fungicide. If you only spray once each year, I would not suggest the low residual products (Bravo, Echo, etc). Get into something with more residual control; growers like Proline at 5-5.7 oz/acre. That will provide, at the very least, 14 days of residual given the current weather conditions. 21 days is a realistic expectation depending on rain events. — Chet Hill
NEBRASKA
West Point, NE
Don’t forget to get MegaGro in your tank for your soybeans this week. MegaGro has been a consistent 2-3 bushel bump over the years. With all the different products out there, farmers have said this has been the one that consistently brings in a great return. — Jacob Gubbels
NORTH DAKOTA
Hillsboro, ND
Putting a fungicide on your beans with a product at R2 will give you good plant health benefits, which on average leads to more yield. — Ryan Pierce
Lisbon, ND
Most of the spring wheat in the area is entering the flowering stage. If you plan on applying Prosaro for head blight or leaf diseases, that should be done now. The optimum timing is 10-15% flowering. — Spencer Schultz
Mohall, ND
Brox M does a good job controlling small broadleaf weeds in flax. Spray flax between 2 and 8 inches tall. It’s most active in hot, sunny conditions. You can add Select at 4-8 oz/acre, and add a crop oil concentrate at 1 gal/100 gal of water. — Ron Hefta
SOUTH DAKOTA
Aberdeen, SD
In a lot of the fields I am in right now, I am noticing plenty of thistle showing up. 2 oz/acre or more of Stinger on the corn acres seems to be doing the trick. Higher rates give you more root activity. Roundup works ok when it’s an option but the in-crop rates are not sufficient to get root activity. Xtend soybeans allow the use of products like XtendiMax which has been good as well. — Justin Hanson
Centerville, SD
I have had some questions about yellow nutsedge in soybeans. Yellow nutsedge is a very tough weed to kill. It has a triangle-shaped stem that is very waxy and hairless. The best control would be Basagran at 2 pts/acre with some crop oil or MSO. — Travis Petty
Freeman, SD
When spraying Liberty, make sure you add the 3 lbs/acre of AMS, it is at least 75 degrees out, and you have great coverage as this is extremely important with this chemical. — Matt Zilverberg
Gettysburg, SD
If you are spraying Roundup over your corn or beans and want to help prevent the yellow flash, farmers who have been adding MegaGro at 2 oz/acre this year say it really helps with crop safety. They have not been seeing the yellow flash and the crop looks like it’s not under as much stress. — Kyle Hawkinson
If you have broadleaves in your yard, try Triplet at 5 oz/acre. — Kyle Hawkinson
Kimball, SD
When adding a volunteer corn killer (Select Max or Volunteer) to XtendiMax or Engenia, up the rate. Mixing a dicamba with a clethodim makes the clethodim a little less effective due to antagonism. — Mike Erickson
Watertown, SD
We have had some hail in the area in the past few days. Growers have been considering using a fungicide. A fungicide like Equation would be a good option to use; it is inexpensive and will give you good future protection. We’re seeing a lot of guys running with a 4 oz/acre rate on smaller crops rather than a full 6 oz. — Beau Wensing
WASHINGTON
Quincy, WA
As wheat along the Highway 2 corridor begins to turn, sulfur deficiencies are very apparent. Don’t make that mistake twice as you get into your summer NH3 program. Excess moisture leads to abnormally high leaching for our area. Every grower in this area should increase their sulfur input accordingly. — Dave Dye
