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.
ILLINOIS
Georgetown, IL
Keep an eye out for first generation European corn borer in early planted conventional corn. They will often target the healthiest, darkest green parts of the field. Look on the bottoms of leaves for eggs or down in the whorl for worms. — Tyler Smith
Princeton, IL
I have been working with a few growers this season that have used cover crops. Cereal rye is the most popular cover crop used in our area. I was walking the field with a grower who told me that he never had earth worms. We stopped right where we were and dug to check. Five worms dropped out of the soil we dug up. We also noticed that there were more bugs on the plants. As you are making post/plant protection applications, don’t forget to look at your bug thresholds. A product like Kendo for a couple of bucks an acre can keep your bug issue from becoming a problem. — Nate Ihnen
There is often added weed and grass pressure around field edges and waterway borders. Sometimes a cleanup pass around these can buy time before making your first full post application. — McKenzie Cain- Intern
IOWA
Rockwell, IA
Collecting tissue samples can give you good insight into your crop. Below are some tissue sampling tips:
- Sample a normal area along with a suspect “poor” area
- Take a soil sample in the same perimeter as collecting the tissues
- Collect from 25 to 40 plants. It’s better for the lab to have too much than not enough
- Collect early in the week and ship out as soon as possible
- Place the samples in paper bags, not plastic
- Stage the crop & sample correct area of the plants
- Take comparison photos of your samples for future referencing — Paul Helland
Now that we are switching from bean pre to corn post, make sure you clean out all your filters and end caps. Use a tank cleaner like Erase to get everything out of your tank and booms. — Mike Jaeger
KANSAS
Garden City, KS
There’s a reason pH is the first thing to look at on a soil test. We used this map to variable rate Soygreen a couple years ago. We were able to take areas that had previously zeroed out and get 55 BPA, helping push a field with an average pH of 8.2 to about 75 BPA. — Chris Lobmeyer
MINNESOTA
Breckenridge, MN
Early season diseases in your wheat fields, such as rust or tan spot, can rob yield and lower your quality. Adding 2 oz of Tilt in with your herbicide application is a great way to cost-effectively increase your yields. — Conor Swenson
Fairmont, MN
Corn needs to be measured before spraying atrazine. It is getting too tall very quickly all over the region. The label is the law and it reads 12-inch height is the cut off. It is also time to get spraying for broadleaves because they are out there and need to be killed now. In this excessive heat, don’t forget things like defoamer and remember to work safe and take a break every once in a while. Keep hydrated! — Steve Draper
Hancock, MN
With the adequate amount of rain and ample heat we’ve received in the past couple weeks, crops are really taking off in our area. Just another reminder with the crops growing as fast as they are to get out and get your post-emerge herbicide sprayed. Most post-emerge herbicides have specific crop height restrictions. For example, Resicore is labeled up to 11” tall corn. It won’t take long for the crop to outgrow these labeled heights. — Austin Norby
Reminder to use dry AMS at 3 lbs per acre when spraying Liberty. I’ve fielded a few calls this week asking if a liquid AMS substitute will work, and the short answer is no, it’s not a good idea. Products such as Deliver, Class Act, and Wheelhouse are good products, and more convenient to use, but you simply cannot get enough AMS out of these products to use them successfully with Liberty. — Aaron Giese
I am already seeing weeds that typically emerge later in the season like cocklebur, wild proso millet, and others. If your corn has been planted for 3 weeks or longer, get it sprayed now. Corn is growing very fast and it won’t be long before row closure. — Adam Gibson
LeRoy, MN
We were trying to figure out what was causing this leaf burn. Was it tank contamination? No, the grower washed out with a great tank cleaner before he used this combination of AMS + Atrazine + Laudis + MSO. It was actually the MSO that caused this burn. It is purely cosmetic and won’t hurt yield, but if conditions are right, you can see a slight burn. — Grant Lunning
Marshall, MN
When spraying fields, be sure to know the rainfast of each chemical that you are using. Rainfast is the amount of time it takes the chemical to absorb into the plants and not be washed off by rain or dew. If there is even the smallest risk of rain in the forecast, wait and be patient for another time to spray. — Jeremy Jensen
Olivia, MN
When spraying dicamba and tankmixing products, consult the websites to make sure the herbicides you are using are approved. Also make sure you are within the spray guidelines. If you have questions or don’t understand the labeling, call your agronomist. — John Scheibel
We are seeing a lot of delayed emergence in the sugar beet fields, but they are starting to fill in and show increased stands. Some cutworm activity is starting to show up, so now is a good time to band on azoxystrobin at a 14 oz per acre rate. — Brandon Howard
Most herbicides need to be applied when nighttime temperatures are above 50 and daytime temperatures are above 70 in order for them to be effective. Check the label of the specific product you are using. — Tony Hagen
Thief River Falls, MN
If you’re having trouble controlling ragweed in sugar beets with just glyphosate alone in the past, look at adding 2 oz of Stinger to increase weed control. Get out there early to kill the weeds while they’re small. — Jordan Swanson
Winthrop, MN
When spraying a post-emerge herbicide, be sure to use the proper adjuvant to get sufficient control. Follow the label recommendations or ask your agronomist on which adjuvants to use with a certain pesticide. — Tyler Gasow
Make sure to keep your mini bulk chemical containers in good order. Keep out of the sun when not in use, clean out after each use, have a pressure check every 2 to 3 years, and keep seals intact. This will make for longer tank life and faster fill times at your dealer. — Dean Christiansen
MISSOURI
Bertrand, MO
Growers are spraying for grass and small seeded broadleaves in Liberty Link soybeans this week. Most of them will use Liberty at 32 oz/acre, Select Max at 8 oz/acre, and AMS at 3 lbs/acre. — Albert Duenne
Hayti, MO
While we are spinning multiple plates at once, it’s easy to forget to make notes of field issues that may need to be addressed this fall, or problems that are showing up that need some problem-solving when the time comes. It’s also easy to forget about your soil data once dry fertilizer has been put on, but that information is invaluable for proactively filling in fertility gaps now that we’re in the crop. Most of us use all fall and winter to think and analyze, but once we get busy, time is of the essence and we fail to follow through on some factors that can make a big difference in yields and profits. Keep your fall/winter planning info and your crop production notes easy to find, and review and add to them often. You’ll appreciate the organization this fall. — Danny Stevens
MONTANA
Sidney, MT
I got a question today on plant growth stimulators like MegaGro. The use of MegaGro at the 2 oz/acre rate when applying to Roundup Ready crops helps in several ways. In addition to being the only patented safener for glyphosate, MegaGro contains two plant growth regulators known to improve root and plant growth. It is for foliar use in almost any crop and can be included in most tankmixes. — Chet Hill
NEBRASKA
Seward, NE
Most growers are in full swing applying their post corn and bean herbicides in central Nebraska. Tankmixing is an important step to ensure a good experience with your application. We follow the W-A-L-E-S method when there are no specific label instructions. Wettable powers and granules, Agitate tank mix thoroughly, Liquid Flowables and suspensions, Emulsifiable concentrate formulations, and then Surfactants and Solutions. There are several apps for your smart phone, too, that can assist when you have questions or concerns. — Trent Mettenbrink
When spraying herbicides containing the active ingredient fomesafen, such as Flexstar, Marvel, and Warrant Ultra, it is important to be aware of carryover risks. Fomesafen has a 10-month rotational interval on corn and an 18-month rotational interval on alfalfa. This is important to understand as fomesafen carryover will vary depending on application timing, rate of active ingredient, soil moisture, and soil type. — Dylan Codr
West Point, NE
Most people in the area are moving focus from post corn spraying to post soybean spraying. Be sure to thoroughly clean out sprayers when making this transition. HPPD products like Callisto and Impact have a tendency to leave some deposits or residue in lines and booms. Use good cleanout procedures and a good tank neutralizer like Erase. — Mike Wiese
NORTH DAKOTA
Hurdsfield, ND
If you have any soybeans on last year’s corn ground, be sure to scout those acres. I have seen quite a bit of volunteer corn today that is “pop can” height already. Big corn is harder to kill and will rob even more moisture and yield from your soybeans. Fusillade is the best product for volunteer corn in soybeans. Be sure to run an MSO with it for best performance. — Emily Kline
Lisbon, ND
Be sure to check the stage of the wheat before spraying. Some wheat in the area may be approaching the maximum stage for certain herbicides. — Spencer Schultz
Mohall, ND
My crop scout says there are not enough bugs to spray yet. I disagree if you can solve a potentially big problem today when next week other things like fishing and Father’s Day will come up. It’s is a great idea to get insects in check. Get a sweep net and look. You might be surprised how many insects there are. — Ron Hefta
SOUTH DAKOTA
Baltic, SD
A lot of the corn in the area is at least at the V4 stage, if not further along. Now would be the perfect time to put on your early season fungicide. Products like Stratego YLD, Priaxor, or even just straight Quilt would be excellent choices. — Tyler Koenig
Centerville, SD
I have had some reports of bean leaf beetles in the area. Bean leaf beetles feed on seedlings and can transmit bean pod mottle virus. To help get rid of these pests, I suggest using Kendo EX at 3.84 ounces per acre. — Travis Petty
Gettysburg, SD
If you have Xtend soybeans and plan on spraying the Xtend chemistry, be sure you have gotten your training taken care of and you have the correct nozzles for your application. Take a look at the following websites http://agro.basf.us/campaigns/engenia/tankmixselector/
http://www.xtendimaxapplicationrequirements.com/Pages/tankmix.aspx to familiarize yourself with the Xtend system requirements before you make any applications. — Eric Butz
Huron, SD
Corn is growing rapidly! Keep a close eye on what stage it is in before deciding what chemistry you will be using on it. — Kyle Wiese
Kimball, SD
I’m starting to see insect feeding in alfalfa fields around the area as well as feeding on lower leaves in soybeans. Make sure you are scouting fields to catch these harmful insects before they hit threshold. If you do find them in your fields, I recommend treating with a generic Silencer at 3.84 oz. — Jeremy Nedved
Watertown, SD
Now would be a good time to get that spring wheat sprayed. Farmers in this area will use 11 oz/acre of Huskie tankmixed with 5 oz/acre Stratego fungicide and 1 oz/acre Baythroid insecticide. — Jack Beutler
If you have buckbrush in your pasture, Chaparral does a great job at a rate of 3.3 oz/acre. The nice thing about Chaparral is that there are no grazing restrictions. — Russ Werning
WASHINGTON
Quincy, WA
I’m finding a tremendous amount of goatgrass around field borders and road edges. This can be easily cleaned up with glyphosate or paraquat. Even if you ding the crop, I’d trade a couple bushels of wheat to keep goatgrass out of the field. — Dave Dye
