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.
IDAHO
Buhl, ID
I am finding weevil larvae in alfalfa. With it being this close to first cutting, watch your pre-harvest interval (PHI) on what you use. A product like Mustang Maxx at 4 oz/acre has only a 3-day PHI to cutting. — Van Wiebe
ILLINOIS
Georgetown, IL
I am seeing a lot of yellow corn this week hitting V2 growth stage as the plant is transitioning from the seed as its energy source to the nodal roots. I am not surprised to see a major immobilization penalty as we had very little decomposition in March and April. Microbe populations are exploding at the moment and stealing nitrogen and sulfur from young corn plants. Plants should outgrow it in time, but you can really tell who ran starter fertilizer or a sulfur source. — Tyler Smith
Princeton, IL
Some farmers in our area are concerned with fighting giant ragweed on their farms this year. A good pre-herbicide would be Authority First. Having fields clean and keeping weeds from becoming established is key to reducing post sprays and reducing weed seed production in soybean fields. — Matt Denton
Looking for a way to cut some costs for this season? Consider lowering your soybean populations. Many trials have shown a final stand of 80K-100K will yield nearly the same as a final stand of 120K-140K. A good rule of thumb is to plant 120K-140K in 30” rows. In narrow rows, you can bump the population to 140K-160K. — Matt Anzelc
We have experienced spotty rainfalls over the last five days. Going to and from grower’s locations, the crop looks great from the window of the pickup. Actually walking the fields the crop still looks great, but you can definitely see the weed pressure is coming on strong. This time of year, it is so important to have a crop protection plan in place and ready to go. — Nate Ihnen
IOWA
Rockwell, IA
Consider the addition of nutritional products to your tankmix. Unsure if your soils are lacking balance? Soil testing in conjunction with tissue testing is an excellent plan, to verify correlation of imbalances. Most products are very compatible in the tankmix with crop protection goods at 1-2 qt rates.
Take home message: Side by side trials of yield enhancing foliar products for ROI is always recommended. — Paul Helland
Sheldon, IA
With the fields starting to dry up after all the recent rains, make sure you are checking the entire field for wet spots before trying to plant or spray. Even though the surface looks dry, it doesn’t mean that it is fit to go. Too much moisture in the subsurface can lead to side wall compaction, smearing, and stuck equipment. This can lead to poor root growth, emergence issues, and compaction that can cause issues for years to come. In tillage operations, running your light tillage equipment across the field could be enough to get air further down in the profile to help dry it out even more. — Nathan Kloft
KANSAS
Garden City, KS
As combines are getting ready for wheat harvest, consider an often over-looked part of the combine. Take the time to remove last year’s (or the last several years’) yield data. Yield data can help you pinpoint problem areas in a field and build soil sampling zones for more efficient fertilizer application. — Chris Lobmeyer
MINNESOTA
Fairmont, MN
Some in the area are getting a few beans in. Remember that most bean pre’s need to be on before the bean cracks the ground, so be ready with the sprayer right behind the planter. — Evan Oberdieck
Hancock, MN
Make sure you are flagging your soybeans fields with what herbicide tolerance you are planting. Your seed dealers should have Liberty Link and dicamba-tolerant flags. This is very important as it will let your neighbors around you know what you are planting so you can avoid any spraying issues. — Nathan DuHoux
When taking a look at soil tests in our area, there are a couple common themes. One of the issues that stands out to me is that nearly every single test I’ve looked at is severely short on manganese. Manganese is very important to plant health and has been shown to decrease the severity of white mold in some instances. Consider adding a little manganese to your fertilizer mix, whether it’s a dry manganese sulfate or a liquid form. It will likely be very expensive to try to fix your deficiency in one application but over time building the level of Mn in your soil will benefit you, even if you add just a few pounds per year. — Aaron Giese
Janesville, MN
As you are planting, make sure to check your planter for depth and spacing issues. The key to good stands and high yields is consistent seed depth and spacing. — Ray Johnson
LeRoy, MN
When doing a burndown in front of corn or soybeans, do not use 2,4-D. There are much safer products. In the past people used 2,4-D because it was so cheap. Now with generic Banvel so cost effective, there is no reason to risk injury using 2,4-D in front of corn. You may have gotten by with it in the past, but you also could have taken the top end of yield off without even knowing it. If front of corn, stick to Banvel or Sharpen or Roundup. In front of beans, you can use one of the approved dicamba products in front of dicamba traited soybeans, or you can use Aim, metribuzin, or add oil to heat up Valor or Authority. — Grant Lunning
Olivia, MN
It is tempting to say, “The planting is going well. I am going to try and get everything in before I put my pre on my soybeans.” It is a good idea to stay caught up even if it means parking the planter for a few hours. With the heat we have had in west central Minnesota, the crops are germinating very quickly and will be poking through fast. The best weed control you can have is a good pre-emerge herbicide with three modes of action. — John Scheibel
Thief River Falls, MN
If you’re planting dicamba tolerant soybeans right now and plan on spraying Engenia or Xtendimax this summer, make sure you have your correct nozzles lined up. If you don’t, there are free nozzle programs from BASF and Monsanto to ensure you are using the correct nozzles. Your agronomist can help you get those ordered today so you have them in time for spraying season. — Jordan Swanson
Winthrop, MN
Corn is starting to emerge in some places around us. Make sure you are out there to check your stand. Look to see how well your seed treatment and in-furrow program worked to get your corn out of the soil quickly and in an even stand to maximize yield. — Matt Vogel
It is still only mid-May, so stick with your soybean maturity until end of the month. In our area, we can plant 2.0 maturity to May 30th. Then make changes if needed. — Dean Christiansen
Typically, you need to get a pre-emerge on within 3 days after planting soybeans. If you can’t get the pre-emerge sprayed in time, though; there are other products that can be used if the beans start to emerge. Look at products like Anthem Flex, Outlook, Dual II Magnum (or a generic version), Warrant, etc. — Tyler Gasow
MISSOURI
Bertrand, MO
For an early post in corn to control some grass and small seeded broadleaf weeds, farmers are using 1 pt/acre of Atrazine, 1 qt/acre of PowerMax in glyphosate tolerant corn and 3 oz/acre of Status and it’s working very well! — Albert Duenne
Hayti, MO
For post-emergence weed control in furrow-irrigated rice fields, Propanil at 1 gal/acre can be effective on small annual grasses, and Strada XT2 at a rate of 10 oz/acre on broadleaf weeds. More than one herbicide application may be necessary to control weed flushes on furrow rice, so keep a close eye on weed pressure. — Danny Stevens
Engenia and Xtendimax are being sprayed heavily on soybean and cotton acres right now. Be sure to double check your tankmix labels. When choosing a labeled DRA, consider Lockamba 2.0. In addition to drift reduction, it also consists of a water conditioner, NIS, and defoamer. — Ryan Wilson
MONTANA
Sidney, MT
With the pulse crops popping out of the ground quickly, some producers did not get their burndown herbicide application done in time. There aren’t a lot of great options left for those acres, but for field peas Varisto (Basagran + Raptor) may be the best one. Varisto can be applied when the crop is between 3 inches tall to the 5th node stage. — Chet Hill
NEBRASKA
Laurel, NE
Now is the time to be in your fields taking a look at stands. Emergence on soybeans has been less than ideal, but in most cases, it would not pay to replant. — Kody Urwiler
Seward, NE
PPO splash can be a problem for corn and soybeans if a PPO containing herbicide has been applied and no rain or irrigation has occurred before crop emergence. If a PPO is going to remain in the spray tank after planting, make an irrigation pass after product application if possible, or be aware of the possible risks associated with a PPO splash event. — Kegan Macfee
Not only do we want to see weeds controlled in our fields and pastures but on our fence lines and ditches too. A good solution to controlling these problem weeds is by using Freelexx at 1.28 fl oz/gallon of spray for spot treatment or 2-4 oz/acre on annual broadleaf plants for broadcast application. Follow label directions for application and drift management. — Brad Meusch
When planning to plant your soybeans this week, remember to keep in mind iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC). This is found in many parts in central Nebraska and is usually prevalent in high pH soils or wet and poorly drained bottomland soils. To help combat this problem, we would often recommend adding an iron (Fe) additive in-furrow while planting. One commonly used product is Versa Fe. We recommend 1.33 qts/acre in-furrow at a cost of less than a bushel of soybeans. This will greatly improve your yield and help you combat those problem areas throughout your field. —
Trent Mettenbrink
West Point, NE
Make sure you are out in your fields scouting and checking stand counts. There are a lot of problems that are not visible from the road. — Jared Steffensmeier
NORTH DAKOTA
Hurdsfield, ND
A lot of metribuzin has gone out this week, and there’s been some questions about tank clean out and mixing. Don’t let it set in your tank overnight and be sure to also flush out the booms. Tank cleaners like Erase will help get rid of any film. If tankmixing metribuzin is an issue, try a compatibility agent like Mix-All. — Emily Kline
Lisbon, ND
Be sure to check the rainfast for each herbicide you are applying. If you are using Gramoxone or Parazone as a burndown, allow at least 30 minutes of drying before a rain shower. — Spencer Schultz
Mohall, ND
With all the foxtail barley in our area, another option to control it in Liberty Link or Roundup Ready canola is Targa. It takes a healthy dose of Roundup to get fair control in the spring. A high rate of Targa in a separate pass will kill 98% of the remaining foxtail barley. — Charlie Adams
SOUTH DAKOTA
Aberdeen, SD
While true pre’s like Valor, metribuzin, and Authority products are the absolute best practice in soybeans, there are times and situations where timing on certain fields doesn’t work out to get these herbicides put down. If you run into this situation, products like Outlook at 10-14 oz, Warrant at 48 oz, and Dual at 1.5-2 pts are great over the top applications that give good residual control in-season. — Jay Barnett
The use of oils is extremely crucial in burndown situations in all crops. MSO at 1 pt/acre is required on PPOs such as Aim and Sharpen. This will enhance burndown on troublesome weeds such as kochia. — Kalen Kjellsen
Baltic, SD
I completely understand that guys are in a rush to get the crops in ASAP, but please remember to get on the soybean pre-emerge product as well. If we skip this step, the rest of the year will be very difficult to control weeds. — Tyler Koenig
Centerville, SD
For help with manure management and turning your manure to compost, farmers are trying D-Comp to speed up that process. D-Comp is a biological product that is put on the manure pile and drastically reduces the amount of time it takes to turn it to compost. It also eliminates the need for constantly turning the pile. — Travis Petty
Freeman, SD
When spraying grassy areas with some of those tough to get weeds like wild violet, crabgrass, and foxtails, look at using a quinclorac at a rate of 0.367 oz per 1,000 sq ft and 2 oz of Freelexx per gallon of water for additional help on most lawn-type broadleaves. — Matt Zilverberg
Gettysburg, SD
With recent rains and cooler conditions, it is more important than ever to apply fungicide to your winter wheat or spring wheat crops. You can go cheap and apply a propiconazole at 4 oz/acre for right around $2.00. A much better option is Nexicor at 3.5 oz/acre for right around $5.00. Nexicor has 3 modes of action to help combat fungicide resistance and delivers consistent, long lasting, preventative control of the toughest diseases. — Eric Butz
Huron, SD
Are dandelions making a strong showing in your farmyard? Freelexx is a 2,4-D type of chemistry without the volatility risk. 2 qt/acre will be very beneficial but do use caution of any physical drift (wind). For your backpack sprayer, use a rate of approximately 2 oz/1,000 square feet. — Alan Williams
I was recently asked, “Is it alright to spray Balance Flexx on corn that is at V1?” If corn is at V1, it is time to switch to a different herbicide due to crop safety. I would consider using a product such as Harness Xtra, Resicore, or TripleFlex, depending on weed spectrum. These products will be safer as well as offer a wider window for application! — Kyle Wiese
Kimball, SD
Lumax EZ or a generic blend of Dual, Callisto, and atrazine is a great pre for sorghum acres. Make sure your seed is Concep treated and do not apply after sorghum has emerged. — Mike Erickson
For a relatively insect-free summer, consider spreading Criterion (Gaucho) on your lawn once in the spring and once in the fall. Immediately water in with 1 inch of rain or irrigation. Additionally, spray Tempo once a month around your house and farmyard. — Joe Fox
Watertown, SD
If you have an alfalfa field that you plowed up this spring and you plan on planting soybeans in, don’t forget to use a good soybean inoculant. A product you could use is ROOTastic. It comes in a dry or liquid form. I’d recommend double inoculating for best results. — Russ Werning
WASHINGTON
Quincy, WA
With a lot of peas in our area following potatoes from last year, there has been a bad problem with volunteer potatoes, which happens to coincide with the presence of potato beetles. A 4 oz rate of Mustang Maxx will do a good job to clean up the beetles. — Danny Hopkins
