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
Bolero and Prowl herbicides are breaking down and releasing crabgrass and sprangletop in rice fields. Wet soil conditions are allowing lot of aquatic weeds including curly indigo and hemp sesbania to stick around. Spray some Ricestar and Facet L when surface water runs off. — Joey York
This next week there will be a lot of post-emerge soybean spraying. If you are using Engenia or Xtendimax, remember to use an approved adjuvant such as Lockamba. — Perry Galloway
Tuesday – While getting ready to spray V4 corn this next week, you may need to bump your Halex GT rate to 2 qts/acre. If a field has really heavy weed pressure from all the wet weather and you have a heavy Palmer amaranth infestation, you may need to bump your rate a little. — Joey York
ILLINOIS
Georgetown, IL
If you still have some corn to plant, one thing we recommend every farmer should at least try this year is QuickRoots. We have seen 5 to 10 bushel/acre yield increases on average. That is a good investment for something that is at a relatively cheap input cost. Use it in a side-by-side trial to see your results. — Evan Zimmerman
Princeton, IL
Keep an eye on your planted fields during this cold weather. Depth and spacing are things to be checking before the next good stretch of weather comes and lets us get back in the fields. — Kyle Bickett
A great way to boost your crop’s yield potential would be to add a biological at planting time this spring. A product like QuickRoots improves the availability of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to your plants’ roots. The increased nutrient uptake will lead to a healthier plant and often a 5 to 7 bushels/acre yield gain. — Mike Denton
IOWA
Sheldon, IA
As the planters and sprayers start to roll around here again, make sure that you have enough seed and chemical on hand to keep you going. When you have the products in your custody, you are able to dictate your own schedule, rather than waiting on a supplier to replenish what you need. About the time you think you are going to run out is about the time everyone else is too. If you are not able to keep all of your supply on your own farm, make sure that you plan ahead and get enough to get you through a couple days. — Nathan Kloft
Seedling diseases and poor emergence are a common occurrence in soybeans many years. Consider treating your soybean seed with a fungicide and insecticide to protect it. There are many different options that could fit your particular situation, for example, ILeVO for SDS prevention, Clariva for nematode protection, or Heads Up for early white mold defense. Consider a complete seed treatment for an all-around insurance policy and defense from all angles. An ideal treatment will contain multiple modes of action and the inclusion of inoculation that contains nitrogen fixing bacteria (Bradyrhizobium japonicum). — Connor Majerus
MINNESOTA
Breckenridge, MN
For those with air seeders, throwing in some talc with your treated soybeans can help improve flowability. Talc helps dry the surface of seeds by helping decrease moisture, stickiness, and clumping of seeds. — Tia Johnson
Fairmont, MN
Remember that some pre-emerge herbicides like TripleFLEX, SureStart, and Resicore can be sprayed pre-emerge through 11-inch corn so don’t feel like you have to hurry to get spraying done if field conditions aren’t fit. — Evan Oberdieck
Hancock, MN
Corn planting is going well in the area. I have gotten reports of perfect moisture and very mellow soils after tillage. Make sure to check planting depth so seeds do not get planted too deep. An ideal planting depth for corn is at 2 inches. — Adam Gibson
One of the most common questions we get asked is “Can I cut my pre-emerge herbicide and just go with a total post program in my crops this year?” We strongly advise against this. Skipping the pre allows weeds to compete for water and nutrients and rob yield early in your crop’s life. Along with that, you are giving the weeds more time to grow which will likely lead to spraying weeds larger than 4″, which is not an effective approach to weed control. — Aaron Giese
Janesville, MN
The sun is shining and farmers are rolling. Remember to keep an eye on your seed depth. The desirable depth for corn is 1.5-2.5 inches so the nodal roots can develop about 0.75 inches below the soil surface. Desirable depth for soybeans is 1-1.5 inches, but no deeper than 2 inches. Ultimately, soybean planting depth should be field specific and based more on soil conditions at the time of planting. — Josh Bruns
With heavy weed pressure, adding metribuzin to your bean pre at 0.2 to 0.3 lbs/acre will help add residual and burndown to your chemical program. — Raymond Johnson
LeRoy, MN
Got dandelions? With more people going to no-till or very minimal tillage practices, dandelions have become more of a nuisance. They can be a challenge to get, especially in beans. We have had decent luck with Authority MTZ or Valor pre-emerge. If you mix in some crop oil you can really heat things up. If you are using the new dicamba soybeans, you can run dicamba as a burndown, but make sure you mix in some residual, because we DO NOT want to rely on one mode of action. — Grant Lunning
Marshall, MN
Controlling broadleaves post-emerge in soybeans is by far much harder than in corn. Getting your pre-emerge herbicide on your soybeans is critical right after you plant. If you have to decide between spraying your corn or soybean pre first, I would choose the soybeans every time. There are many good soybean pre options to choose from, just make sure you get one on! — Dave Timmerman
Olivia, MN
A uniform, healthy stand is critical if you want high yields this fall. Two things you can do to promote this are protect your seed with a seed treatment and increase nutrient availability by using QuickRoots. — Tony Hagen
I have had quite a few questions about controlling the weeds that are creeping in from field edges. Now that the temperatures are warming, up Roundup will work. If you want another option that doesn’t have any residual, Gramoxone will work also. — John Scheibel
Some of the new Xtend soybeans are out-yielding the Roundup Ready 2 soybeans. Xtend soybeans are convenient because they are glyphosate and dicamba tolerant. Just remember that only Engenia or Xtendimax herbicides can be used on these soybeans. — Aaron Spronk
Thief River Falls, MN
With field conditions improving quickly, there is a big rush to put corn and wheat in the ground as fast as we can. With resistant broadleaf weeds becoming more of an issue the last couple of years in our area, taking time to hop in the sprayer to put down a good pre-emergent herbicide can help keep weeds away in the early stages of crop growth. A few of my top choices are TripleFLEX and Resicore for corn ground and Sharpen for wheat ground. — Jordan Swanson
Soil conditions have greatly improved in our area this week and soybean planting is underway. Protect your investment with Dominance seed treatment and an inoculant. — Alex Yaggie
Ulen, MN
One way to help out your crop is to add QuickRoots to your seed to enhance root development and increase yield. Getting your plants of to a quick and healthy start and reducing stress will benefit your crop for the rest of the year. — Greg Peterson
Winthrop, MN
If you are spraying any herbicides near water you need to stay back as stated on the label or use a product with an aquatic label. — Dean Christiansen
If you are looking to beef up your pasture ground, spray 0.5 oz/acre of RyzUp SmartGrass. With the cool weather starting to taper away, the grasses will begin to start growing again and by adding the RyzUp, the grass will grow much quicker. RyzUp is gibberellic acid which promotes growth in grass crops. — Tyler Gasow
Be sure to check your soil tests before you get your seed in the ground. A deficiency in micronutrients can be helped out by adding some TJ MicroMix or Micro 500 at 1 qt/acre to your starter tank. — Matt Vogel
MISSOURI
Bertrand, MO
Whether you will be spraying Liberty, Xtendimax, or Engenia this year, be sure to use the recommended spray nozzles for the product that you will be applying. The proper spray coverage will result in better weed control. — Albert Duenne
Hayti, MO
There are several foliar products that can help stressed crops due to wet weather. 16 oz/acre of PercPlus and 24 oz/acre of cropKarb is one good example of a tankmix farmers are seeing results from. — Danny Stevens
Farmers will begin cotton planting in the next few days. In-furrow fungicide and insecticide treatments seem to be the new trend in our area instead of the on-seed treatment we have used in the past. — Eric Luye
MONTANA
Sidney, MT
I received a question from a producer today asking if he can put 100 lbs of MESZ down the drill with the canola seed on 12-inch spacing. The answer is no; canola is very sensitive to the amount of nitrogen and potassium fertilizer laid by the seed. It also depends on the soil type, the row spacing, and type of drill – if it’s disk, hoe, or sweeps. For a medium soil texture, disk type drill, roughly 5 to 10 lbs of actual N + K can be laid by the seed. For a hoe drill, 15 to 25 lbs can be laid by the seed, depending on the row spacing. — Chester Hill
NEBRASKA
Laurel, NE
Downy brome seems to be everywhere this spring. Be sure to scout your fields before spraying and add glyphosate as needed. — Kody Urwiler
I’m seeing a lot of downy brome growing in fields. Make sure you add some Roundup with your pre-emerge herbicides and remember if you’re spraying fertilizer, run a higher rate of Roundup. — Rusty Reifenrath
West Point, NE
I’m seeing some kochia getting some good size to it. Make sure you’re scouting your field so you know your weed spectrum and can choose the correct products for the weeds on your farm. — Jacob Gubbels
NORTH DAKOTA
Hurdsfield, ND
Did you know 1 bushel of soybeans needs over 4 lbs of nitrogen? Using a soybean inoculant can help your crop build nodules and fix the nitrogen it needs throughout the season. We especially recommend it if the field has no or little soybean history and organic matter is low. — Emily Kline
Lisbon, ND
Using a complete seed treat package on your soybeans will give them the best chance to get off to a good start. Don’t try to save a couple dollars by cutting this out because you can lose out on potential yield from early season disease pressure. — Adam Ladwig
Mohall, ND
It looks like some foxtail barley is coming in alfalfa. Use 10.2 oz/acre Assure II along with the appropriate amounts of AMS and crop oil to take care of that. — Ron Hefta
Webster, ND
It is nice to see that the temperatures are quickly warming the soil. I just checked a seeded wheat field and the 4-inch temperature was 58 degrees. Even the sod temperature is 54, so if you have been waiting, it’s time! — Jim Sitar
SOUTH DAKOTA
Aberdeen, SD
With corn planting beginning to wrap up and beans starting to go in the ground, keep weed resistance management in mind. There is no better way to combat problematic kochia and waterhemp issues then planting Xtend soybeans. With state of the art dicamba such as Xtendimax and Engenia, let today’s best technologies take care of all your resistance issues, with very low risks. — Justin Hanson
For the first time since Roundup Ready crops came out, we finally have good options (other than Roundup) post-emerge in soybeans. Engenia, Xtendimax, and Liberty, if used properly, are excellent herbicides for control of annoying pests like kochia. — Kalen Kjellsen
If you are looking for an effective corn pre-emerge herbicide, Verdict at 16 oz/acre is a great choice. With this you are getting 3.2 oz of Sharpen and 13.4 oz of Outlook. Remember, this is pre-emerge only; the corn cannot be popping out of the ground. — Tanner Johnson
SOUTH DAKOTA
Baltic, SD
Monday 8th
I have been digging in a number of corn fields. The earliest planted corn field I was in was planted around April 17th. There were absolutely zero issues in these fields. I would be out checking your own fields to make sure everything is fine, but I don’t foresee any problems. — Tyler Koenig
Centerville, SD
If you want an extra boost in-furrow on corn, add 2 oz/acre of MegaGro to help give your corn a boost. MegaGro is a plant growth regulator and a patented glyphosate safener for post use on corn and soybeans. — Travis Petty
If you’re about to start planting soybeans or will be soon, iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) can hurt your bottom line. Lowering your soil’s pH and improving drainage can help for the future. For this season, there are some varieties more tolerant than others to pick from. If you have wet conditions, studies have shown a rise in IDC when soil moisture is increased. It may be useful to cultivate those spots. Also 3 pounds per acre of Soygreen in-furrow at planting time has a proven track record of improving yields and profits. — Peter Strom
Freeman, SD
In no-till/strip-till fields, producers are looking for a good burndown with residual. Verdict at 14 oz/acre for corn and 5 oz/acre for beans is a great one-two punch. In addition, make sure to add 1 gal of MSO per 100 gallons of water. — Matt Zilverberg
Gettysburg, SD
If you have dandelions in your yard, use Triplet at 4-6 oz/gallon of water. — Kyle Hawkinson
Huron, SD
There were concerns from a field today on a Resicore tankmix problem. The correct tankmixing steps are as follows:
1. Sprayer half full of carrier (water or 28%-32%)
2. Dry flowables
3. Heavy liquids
4. Top off sprayer, agitation should be kept to a minimum as most likely excess agitation will allow “frothing” in the tank. — Alan Williams
Should I be using AMS when I spray? The answer is no if you are spraying any dicamba products because it can increase volatility. If you are spraying glyphosate or contact herbicides (Aim, Gramoxone, Liberty) the answer is yes. The AMS will help with water pH issues and also help with plant uptake of the herbicide. — Garritt Dykstra
Scout your wheat fields for weeds. There are serval good herbicides to choose from like WideMatch and Huskie. If there are some grasses coming, Huskie Complete or PerfectMatch are some options. When putting herbicide down, throw in some fungicide, also, as this will give you protection from stripe rust that is already in Nebraska and likely heading this way. — Norland Hofer
Kimball, SD
There have been a lot of wheat acres being covered in the past few days. Make sure you are applying a fungicide with your herbicide program. For control of tan spot, leaf spot and stripe rust, consider running a product like Stratego. It contains two modes of action for both curative and preventative activity against leaf diseases. — Joe Fox
Watertown, SD
If you are planting sweet corn or popcorn and need weed control, a good product to use is Lumax at 2.5 qts/acre. Lumax is only labeled for pre-plant or pre-emergence use, so timing is important. — Russ Werning
WASHINGTON
Quincy, WA
S.U. (sulfonylurea; or group 2, ALS) resistant purple vetch is on the rise in Douglas County. Many of you opt for dicamba, but with our season pushed back because of wet soils and inability to spray with ground rigs, it is extremely important that you know the stage of your wheat before spraying any dicamba products. Spraying wheat past jointing can cause sterile spikelets if applied from the jointing to boot stage. Wheat varieties vary in sensitivity. Some exhibit no injury and some show extreme symptoms. Consider using the product WideMatch. It may be a little more expensive but is less risky to the crop. — Dave Dye
