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
We have a lot of rice ready for herbicide and nitrogen pre-flood if we can get the rain water to drain out. We may get some of it sprayed if we time it right before the weather sets in Thursday. Do not put pre-flood nitrogen out in the mud; rice does not have the root system for mass uptake yet, so you would lose a large percentage of your nitrogen. — Joey York
IDAHO
Buhl, ID
As temperatures continue to be hot and dry, it is important to be scouting your onion fields for thrips. These pests can potentially vector the disease iris yellow spot virus so if found, it is important to take action. Farmers are having success using Radiant SC at 10 oz/acre to get control. — Van Wiebe
ILLINOIS
Georgetown, IL
With the large amounts of rainfall we have had so far this year, we are starting to see weeds emerging in fields that had a good residual. I walked a field yesterday that had a good pre put down early and now has 8-inch tall giant ragweed. Continue to scout your fields. It is very important to get weeds while they are small to maximize the effectiveness of the herbicides. — Tyler Smith
Princeton, IL
Drainage will be a huge factor this year. I’ve looked at many fields over the past several days and the emergence and stand on well-drained fields versus poorly drained fields is remarkable. In some cases there is a 10,000 plant stand difference. Drainage is critical in the first 45 days after planting to get the plant dried out and get air back into the soil. This really helps the seedling at a critical time. Take time to look at your fields and see for yourself. Be safe. — Mike Denton
I looked at an emerging corn field with a grower yesterday. Areas in the field were coming up slower than the rest, and upon further examination we found the rows were silted over and the corn was almost an inch deeper than the rest. There is no fix to this issue for this crop. — John Becker
I have seen several people working on brush in fence lines during the past wet period. Tordon 22K is still a great product for applying to stumps after cutting brush to eliminate regrowth. The specific product many of these people are using is a ready-to-use product (Tordon 22K RTU) in a quart squirt bottle. — Mike Denton
IOWA
Rockwell, IA
In our area there are quite a few acres of beans that did not get a pre put on. In many of those cases, we’re seeing farmers protect their fields after emergence with 3-4 oz/acre of Anthem Maxx with 32 oz/acre of Roundup to clean up the emerged weeds and provide residual until they make their post-emerge applications. —
Brian Pottebaum
Sheldon, IA
There are many different types of tankmix additives, and all of them can get confusing. Drift control agents not only control drift but also act as a retention agent, allowing the herbicide to spread more evenly over the leaf surface. Latch is one of these products that will control drift and distribute droplets. Lockamba is a drift control agent plus gives you a water conditioner with NIS for use with dicamba products. –Adam Sauer
MINNESOTA
Breckenridge, MN
Make sure to scout your fields before spraying so you know exactly what weeds you are targeting. We have been seeing a lot of lambsquarters and buckwheat coming up in wheat fields. Farmers have been adding in Edition BroadSpec to their herbicide mix and seeing a boost in control. — Tia Johnson
Fairmont, MN
While out scouting fields, we have noticed the borders have a lot of giant ragweed. If you’re using Resicore as your early post product, remember two things. It has to be applied by 11-inch-tall corn, and for giant ragweed, you need to add additional Stinger if you are using the 1.25 qt rate. — Hans Hinrichsen
Hancock, MN
The weather right now is not ideal for spraying. The cool temperatures will likely cause herbicides to lose effectiveness. If you’re able to, wait to apply any herbicide until the weather warms up. — Aaron Giese
LeRoy, MN
I’ve had reports of weeds starting to break through the pre-emerge residuals on the corn. Farmers are seeing it first in the high-pressure areas like waterways and fence lines. Some are spraying straight Roundup, provided the weeds aren’t resistant, in the tough areas and delaying their post-emerge herbicide for another week or two. Others are going to do their planned post-emerge herbicides starting at the end of this week. Since the corn is so small, using a herbicide that contains a residual would be a good idea. — Grant Lunning
Marshall, MN
As the first cutting of alfalfa is being harvested, now is the time to prepare for a fungicide application to the regrowth. Studies have shown timing is best at 6-8 trifoliates. Headline at 6 oz/acre or Quadris at 10 oz/acre have been the most studied. — Mike Homandberg
Some alfalfa fields in the area are getting cut. Insecticide applications should done when 2-3 inches of new regrowth starts to show up after the cut alfalfa has been removed from the field. Silencer or Kendo at 3.84 oz/acre is a great choice for control of just about any insect that affects alfalfa. — Dave Timmerman
Olivia, MN
There are a lot of reports of lambsquarters emerging in fields this spring. In some cases they are in soybean fields that are yet to be planted. Farmers are often adding glyphosate, AMS, and NIS to their pre-emerge herbicides and wiping them out. — John Scheibel
Most herbicides need to be applied to actively growing weeds when nighttime temperatures are above 50 and daytime temperatures are above 70 for maximum effectiveness. This also applies to the weather 2 days before spraying and 2 days after spraying. — Tony Hagen
Thief River Falls, MN
Soybeans are starting to emerge from the ground, and we are not too far away from the first spray. If you planted dicamba-tolerant soybeans this spring and plan to spray Engenia or XtendiMax on them this summer, now would be a good time to make sure that you have the correct nozzles for spraying. Websites like http://www.xtendimaxapplicationrequirements.com and www.Engeniatankmix.com have a list of nozzles that are approved for spraying Xtendimax and Engenia. Also, the free Ag PhD Spray Tips App is a good source of information for nearly all the crop protection products you will spray this season. — Jordan Swanson
Wet weather is going to keep you from getting a pre-emerge on those late planted soybean acres. Your best option for a post-emerge tankmix in Roundup Ready soybeans is a fomesafen such as Flexstar with your PowerMAX. It might not control 100% of your weeds, but it will get you extra activity to help with the early burndown. — Alex Yaggie
Winthrop, MN
Prices on HPPD chemistries like Callisto, Laudis, and Impact have dropped significantly with the first of them (Callisto) coming off patent. Farmers are using them either alone or in premixes with other herbicides as foundational weed control products in this area. Be sure to only use these once throughout the year to prevent resistance and any carryover concerns. — Matt Vogel
With the cool, wet spring we have been experiencing, quite a few farmers I’ve spoken with plan to use a fungicide application at V4-V7 in corn this year. Sounds like most will be using products like Priaxor, Preemptor, or Fortix. These products have 2 modes of action to fight resistance and broaden the spectrum of disease protection. — Tyler Gasow
In addition to disease protection, farmers in this area have noted that spraying at V4 to V7 has been shown to reduce stress on the plants. They saw it in a dry year like 2012, but also in the cool and wet springs that are more common. — Dean Christiansen
MISSOURI
Bertrand, MO
It’s often a good idea to use fungicides in this area as disease pressure is generally pretty high. Farmers often look for a product like Stratego YLD which can be used in multiple crops which makes management a little easier. They like to run with a rate of 3 oz/acre which can be tankmixed with many post herbicides early. Fungicide can help with overall plant health, resulting in increased yield and a greater ROI. — Albert Duenne
Wheat harvest will begin this week in our area. Wheat looks pretty good overall. — Albert Duenne
Hayti, MO
If your beans are still less than 10 inches tall, which most in this area are, the three-cornered alfalfa hopper is still a danger. 1 oz/acre of either the gamma or lambda formulations of cyhalothrin should take care of the little pests. — Barry Gilmore
MONTANA
Sidney, MT
I have been out scouting wheat fields and have come across bacterial wilt and powdery mildew. There is not much we can do for control on bacteria wilt. Some fungicides are able to slow down powdery mildew. — Chester Hill
As growers are getting ready to spray the Roundup Ready crops, a number of them will be adding MegaGro. MegaGro is a patented safener for glyphosate at the 2 oz/acre rate. Farmers have also commented that it stimulates root development and increases foliage. — Chester Hill
NEBRASKA
Laurel, NE
I’m seeing some soybeans that are struggling to emerge from crusting. If you have a pivot, it would be a good idea to start it up. — Kody Urwiler
West Point, NE
I am seeing some growers run into kochia in soybeans. A good rate of Roundup can do the job; however, I have found that putting a little Cadet in has helped a bunch. Flexstar is also a good choice, I just worry about using my Flexstar too early with waterhemp problems we run into in June. — Jacob Gubbels
I am finding marestail that escaped on our corn pre. Farmers are heading out to their fields to spray DiFlexx, which is a safened dicamba product that can be applied up to V10. Maximum crop safety with nearly all herbicides, though, is achieved if you can apply the product before the growing point is above ground at V6. Don’t wait. Spray soon. — Jared Steffensmeier
NORTH DAKOTA
Hurdsfield, ND
I’ve gotten a lot of questions about drift retardants this spring. The wind has been challenging for spray applications, but products like Guardian and Vector can help get the spray to the plants. Always use your best judgment when spraying, and consider coming back to do borders later when conditions are favorable. — Emily Kline
Lisbon, ND
Make sure to check your CRP for weeds such as dandelion and Canada thistle, especially near your crop production fields. Farmers are out there this week spraying them to prevent future problems spreading into their fields. — Adam Ladwig
SOUTH DAKOTA
Baltic, SD
There has been some PPO damage to local soybean fields. If you sprayed any Authority Brand products, Valor, Fierce or others this can happen from time to time. Typically it happens with cool, wet conditions where you receive a pounding rain. I haven’t seen any situation yet where a replant would be needed, but I would be watching your fields. — Tyler Koenig
Centerville, SD
A few guys have switched in-season to Xtend beans due to weed pressure/resistance and lack of timing to get in the fields to spray those tough weeds coming up fast. For Xtend beans(just like with Roundup Ready soybeans) you want a good pre-emerge herbicide down. We’ve seen the best results the past few years with Valor or Fierce along with adding some Sencor. If you’re planting Xtend beans, you can spray over the top with Xtendimax at 22 oz/acre or Engenia at 12.8 oz/acre. — Peter Strom
Freeman, SD
With some spring wheat in the area, heading is near or already here in some fields. For added protection against fusarium head blight, some farmers will be using Caramba or Prosaro fungicides. Other farmers, in an effort to save money, will use a generic Folicur product for only a couple bucks per acre. Either way, you’ll get good rust protection. The Caramba and Prosaro are considerably better on fusarium head blight, though. — Matt Zilverberg
Gettysburg, SD
I’ve seen several fields that have buckwheat on sunflower ground before the sunflowers are up this spring. Farmers have several options, but one option I’ve seen used successfully this spring is to apply Vida at 1.5 oz/acre. Make sure you have MSO and AMS in the tank. — Kyle Hawkinson
Huron, SD
Corn is approaching V2 in the area, so make sure to check what stage the corn is in before applying any unsafened dicamba to prevent crop injury. If corn is past V2, consider using a safened form of dicamba like DiFlexx or Status. — Kyle Wiese
A grower was asking about a pre-emerge herbicide he could use on milo. Me-Too-Lachlor at 2 pts /acre, 0.5 lb/acre of atrazine, and 44 oz/acre of PowerMAX was his tankmix of choice. If you wanted to use a different residual, you could also use Outlook for another option rather than Me-Too-Lachlor. — Norland Hofer
As you cut alfalfa, it is a great time to check for alfalfa weevil larvae. If the populations are heavy, the larvae will concentrate on the cutting bar. Farmers who are noticing a good number of bugs are spraying the fields with an inexpensive pyrethroid insecticide. The larvae can feed on the new growth and slow down the regrowth, so most guys get out there as soon as the hay is picked up. — Garritt Dykstra
Kimball, SD
In our area, kochia is ever present in soybean fields. The best use of our dollars is spent before the crop emerges. Every option post-emerge is marginal in most cases. While 3 modes of action are preferred for excellent kochia control, Authority MTZ is a great choice before, or ideally, right after planting. Keep in mind that if the soybeans are cracking the ground, the best options are off the table. — Joe Fox
Watertown, SD
The weeds are coming in unsprayed pastures right now. We have been seeing a lot of Canada thistle. Farmers who have already sprayed this spring had good luck with GrazonNext HL. Not only did they do an excellent job on the thistles, they also picked up the wormwood, pigweed, and curly dock. The rate on GrazonNext HL most of them ran with was 1.5 pts/acre. — Beau Wensing
I looked at some corn fields today that are pretty weedy. Recent rain and warmer temperatures are leading to fast weed growth. The farmers I spoke with planned to use Callisto, Laudis, and Status, depending on which weeds they had, as they were spraying in the next few days. — Russ Werning
If you we get into drier conditions and you’re spraying glyphosate, you can add 1 qt/100 gal of NIS to help with control on weeds. — Jack Beutler
WASHINGTON
Quincy, WA
Scouting fields south of Hartline WA, a timothy hay field was found to be infested with mites. This is very rare in first cutting adult plants, but brings up a good point on insecticides. Contact-only insecticides are wasted on mites and thrips. You need an insecticide with mobile activity, and the ability to be applied through irrigation. Mites and thrips hide during the day in the lower canopy, making it very difficult to kill them with contact insecticides. — Dave Dye
