Central Iowa
Kevin Meyer reports the rainfall received at the end of last week ushered in August with an abundance of moisture. Corn is a little uneven, but it continues to improve each week. Soybeans continue to progress with most in the R3 stage. Aphid populations continue to increase in the area with producers watching to see they will make threshold. At this time, treatments have been primarily fungicide only. Overall, soybeans look very good in the area.
The corn in Bart Peterson’s Central Iowa territory is at the R3 stage, and soybeans are at the R3 to R5 stages. He’s seeing some soybean fields with Sudden Death Syndrome in North Central Iowa but none yet in West Central Iowa. Fungicide applications wrapped up over the weekend. Farmers are still scouting for aphids, but they have yet to meet the threshold levels here.
South Central Iowa
The past week helped crops in Travis Slusher’s territory with the corn filling the ear and the beans filling the pods nicely. Insect pressure and crop disease have proven minimal problems to this point. Some producers have begun applying fungicide to soybean fields, and the corn that needed fungicide has pretty much been completed. However, there have been some small areas of Sudden Death Syndrome in soybeans. These tend to be the early planted beans in low wet areas as this year has setup the necessary conditions for SDS in the earlier planted soybeans.
Northeast Iowa
Nick Benson reports corn is done pollinating and is getting into grain fill. Aphids are starting to show their presence as is white mold on soybeans. He is also seeing nitrogen problems on the corn.
North Central Iowa
Tom Larson wants to thank all of his dealers for joining the Latham team in Clear Lake last week for our annual dealer kickoff. Farmers are still scouting the fields for bugs and diseases; aphids still haven’t met the thresholds. The weather report is the same again with weekly rain showers in the forecast.
East Central Iowa
Brad Beatty says soybeans are looking good and there are some diseases on the bottom leaves of the soybean plants in his eastern Iowa territory. Insect pressure has been low, with clover worms and Japanese beetles being the biggest problem at this time. With all of the wet weather, alfalfa is yellowing on the side hills, valleys and in compacted areas. Much like any other legume crops, alfalfa does not like wet feet. Growers may have to seed in some clover and/or grass seed in these spots to save the fields for future harvests. Corn diseases are also starting to show up, and there is also concern that the top-end yield has been lost due to the loss of nitrogen. Corn is showing signs of nitrogen loss on the bottom leaves.
South Dakota
Bill Eichacker says, “Rain, rain, go away!” has become the battle cry throughout his territory. Rains are taking a toll on properties and crop conditions in his region. There were reports of 10 inches rain received last Thursday, and they have had rain everyday since. Soybean conditions are lagging behind last year and some beans are showing a bit of phytophthora root rot. If the sun would shine a bit more, crop conditions could dramatically improve in August. The corn condition is ahead of last year’s crop. If you were to remove drowned out areas, it could be another great year for South Dakota corn producers. The third cutting of alfalfa is under way with only 10% down. Now, Mother Nature needs to cooperate!
Wisconsin
Steve Bailie reports the beans are wet in the northern part of his territory due to a lot rain. The sandier soils look better because they drain quicker, and the corn is starting to turn yellow due to too much moisture. In the southern part of his territory, things look great. Aphid numbers are starting to increase, so some farmers might have to do some spraying.
Minnesota
Jason Obermeyer reports the fungicide applications are wrapping up in his territory. He is seeing a Nitrogen shortage on the corn.
Central Nebraska
Steve Edwards reports they have had great growing weather in his territory and the crops are ahead of schedule for the time of year.
Northern Missouri
Rick Foster reports more crops have drowned out, but where there are crops, they don’t look too bad. About 30% of the corn is left and about 56% of the beans are left.
Managing SDS
Due to the number of regional mentions on SDS this week, we wanted to provide some information recently included in Monsanto’s Agronomic Spotlight. SDS is found across all soybean production regions and can be associated with compacted soil – the fungus infects the roots and the base of the stem, sending toxins to the leaves. Below are a few SDS management tips that were included in the article:
- Plant resistant or highly tolerant cultivars.
- SCN field testing and management is needed due to the possible interaction of SCN with both diseases.
- Tillage can help decompose infected crop residue, improve drainage, reduce compaction and warm soil at planting.
- Plant into warm, dry soils to reduce the risk of infection.
- Maintain optimum soil fertility and pH for soybean production to avoid additional stress.
- If possible, improve drainage and reduce soil compaction in the field.
Tall Corn Contest Grand Prize Winner
A big congratulations to Chelsea Ewen – the grand prize winner of the Tall Corn Contest! We’ll be sending a Latham Hi-Tech Seeds jacket your way soon! A big thank you to everyone who entered.
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