Over the past eight days, Soybean Aphid populations in the Alexander, IA area have been increasing dramatically.  I’ve been monitoring the aphid populations for the past several weeks and noticed a significant increase in numbers on August 6th. That day, I started to intensify my scouting methods and focused on soybean fields for Latham Farms especially. I adhere to the economic threshold of 250 aphids/plant on 80% of the plants through podset. In every field that I scouted on the 6th and 7th, I found populations to be below threshold. A few were in the 40-50% category but most were at 25% and less. In many areas, it was difficult to find individual plants that were at or close to threshold.

That changed drastically over the next 3-4 days! I started scouting again on Tuesday and was amazed to find all but one of the fields at economic threshold and that one was at 75%. Obviously, we made the decision to apply an insecticide to those fields and work began that next day. Over the past two days I’ve received similar reports from Latham production growers in our area and other farmers as well. It would appear that most soybean aphids in our immediate area will be treated with an insecticide soon if they haven’t been already.

One word of caution! If your soybean fields are not at threshold, don’t be tempted to spray an insecticide too quickly. I’ve already received several reports of farmers who went ahead and added an insecticide to their last application of glyphosate herbicide just because it was “convenient” to do it at that time. These farmers are now spraying an insecticide again to control the aphid population that exploded in the recent week. Essentially, when they sprayed the first time, they killed whatever beneficial insects were in their fields at that earlier time leaving the door wide open for aphids from the neighboring fields to infest theirs!

By the way, over the years I’ve developed my own method of speed scouting for Soybean Aphid. If you’re having trouble following other methods, contact me and I will explain what I do.

It’s time to scout for Soybean Aphids as our agronomists and sales team have already seen some this season in Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Minnesota. It’s important to check fields early and often. Take aphid counts every 7 to 10 days to get a good idea of what the population is doing. Take counts at several locations throughout the field and count 20 to 50 plants per location. The economic threshold for aphids is 250 per plant.

For more information, contact the Latham office at 1-877-GO-LATHAM, or your local Latham representative.  Additional information can be found at www.extension.iastate.edu.

North Central and Northeast Iowa
Tom Larson says farmers in his area have endured a variety of drastic weather events, which has drawn out the planting season. The corn needs some heat and moisture to push it along, especially in some stressed areas where some yellowing is occurring.

With the possibility of uneven emergence in soybeans, Tom says it’s time to scout for bean leaf beetles. Last year fields in north central Iowa that had spotty emergence saw infestations of eight to 10 times more than the economic threshold.  These beetles move pretty quickly, so spend some time walking fields and looking for the classic “shotgun” effect in the first trifoliate of leaves, a lesion on the stem, or a complete cutting of the upper half of the plant.

Central Iowa
In central Iowa, Bart Peterson reports the corn is up to the V6 growth stage and is close to forming a canopy.  The area has also received timely rains, and the soybeans are coming along nicely.

East Central Iowa
Wayde McNeil says that two cases of cutworm in western Marshall County have caused 4% damage. He has also noticed a couple of small cases in central Poweshiek County. In the past week, parts of his territory have received up to two inches of rainfall. He says the corn is coming along good with some in the V6 growth stage. Soybeans are anywhere from VE to V2 growth stage. Farmers are working hard making hay, as well.

Eastern Iowa
Brad Beatty reports corn planting has finished, and the soybean planting is 98% done. Farmers’ focus is turning to spraying both corn and soybeans, and Brand is reminding growers to also scout for cutworms in corn. Producers who have alfalfa are all hoping for a window of opportunity to finish making their first cutting. He advises producers to check with their suppliers on NH3 prices as he has heard prices that are half of what they were last year.

South Dakota
Soybean planting is pretty much complete and 80% has emerged, according to Bill Eichacker. Right now a lot of corn is being sprayed, and he is advising farmers to read and follow label directions. Corn is up to the V5 growth stage. Farmers also have been working hard on cutting alfalfa, and at least 60% of first crop is complete.

Eastern Nebraska
Brian Banks reports that once again rains have been spotty, and where it does rain, it is not enough. Cooler than normal temperatures help compensate for lack of moisture. Overall, the corn is growing well despite the lack of moisture.  Corn growth stage ranges from 4- to 7-leaf.  Dry land corn fields are 2 to 4 inches shorter than they should be at this time.

Cutworm has not yet been much of a problem.  He has only found a couple fields with damage to more than 1% of plants; both black and dingy cutworms are responsible.  Post-emergence herbicide applications are in full swing this week. Pre-emergent residual herbicides are holding on in irrigated fields, but dry land fields are getting very weedy since there wasn’t enough moisture to get a good recharge on the herbicide.

Even in these challenging growing conditions, the performance of Latham Hi-Tech Hybrids LH 6598 VT3 is standing out.  On more than one occasion, LH 6598 VT3 emerged before other (competitive) hybrids that were planted 5-7 days earlier!

Current soybean seeding development ranges anywhere from emergence to 2nd trifoliate.  There are a few guys who are just finishing up planting soybeans in the northern part of the territory.  Emergence has been pretty good, but there are some uneven stands because of inconsistent planting depth.  Normally we get enough rain to get those beans near the surface to sprout, but this year most places were not so lucky.  Populations are still at or above 85% of what was put in the ground, so we haven’t ran in to any replant situations yet.  It looks like the L 2635 R and L 3184 R2 have had the best emergence this year.  Some post herbicide applications have started on soybeans but mostly in cases where there was not a burn down prior to or at planting time.

Latham is a partner in the Iowa State University Extension Corn and Soybean Initiative. That means we get timely alerts when any farming condition emerges that could impact a number of growers.

We recently received an alert about possible emergence of black cutworm in Iowa. The alert is reproduced below. Also, we have a simple spreadsheet calculator available for estimating stand-loss threshold of black cutworm as insecticide is applied.

Just give me a call at 1-800-798-3258 or email me at mark@lathamhybrids.com and I’ll be glad to send you the calculator document and explain it to you. For example, one simple calculation on the spreadsheet shows a corn stand planted at 32K plants per acre with an expected yield of 200 bu/acre at a market price of $6 per bushel and receiving insecticide application at a cost of $15/acre could realize an estimated loss of 400 plants per acre, or 1.25%.

Black cutworm to start cutting May 24: scouting is advised

From Iowa State University Extension Corn and Soybean Initiative

Black cutworms could start cutting corn May 24-26 in the southern two-thirds of Iowa, and the first week of June in the northern three tiers of counties. Growers should scout for cutworms as soon as corn emerges, paying special attention to late-planted or weedy fields.

Most at-risk fields:

• Late-planted
• Reduced tillage
• High weed populations – especially of winter annuals
• Near natural vegetation areas
• Poorly drained or low-lying, such as in the floodplain of a stream or river.

Damage signs
• Small, irregular holes in leaves (from young, above-ground larvae feeding)
• Cut stems or clipped leaves (from older larvae, in 4-6 instar – usually feed underground at night)

When scouting

• Examine 250 plants (50 plants in five locations) weekly until corn reaches V5.
• Check for wilted, discolored or damaged leaves and missing plants.
• If damaged leaves are found: dig around the base of the plant and look for larvae. If soils are dry or crusted, larvae  may burrow to moist soil and move to new plants.
• Flag suspected “hot spots” and monitor larval feeding (or lack of it) for a few days.

Economic Threshold & Treatment Options
•Economic thresholds for black cutworm were adjusted last year due to higher crop value and corn stands.
•A tool to calculate treatment thresholds for stand loss will be published in ICM News next week.

To tell black from dingy cutworm larvae

Both feed on corn, but dingy cutworms rarely cut leaves. Black cutworms have two prominent tubercles (dark bumps) of differing sizes on each body segment; dingy cutworms have two of the same size.

Long story short: Black cutworms may start cutting corn May 24 in the southern two-thirds of Iowa. Scout for corn as soon as it emerges, especially in late-planted, weedy or reduced tillage fields. Use the attached threshold calculator to determine the best treatment for your fields.

Source: Erin Hodgson and Jon Tollefson, ISU Department of Entomology

Hi all. I want to introduce our intern for this summer, Andrew Kilburg. We look forward to Andrew’s weekly reports from the field.  –  Shannon

I am Andrew Kilburg and I just completed my sophomore year at Iowa State. I am majoring in Agronomy and Agriculture Systems Technology, and this summer I will be an intern at Latham Hi-Tech Seeds. One of my duties will be posting weekly blog updates on planting progress for corn and beans, stages of growth, and any weed or pest issues.

It sounds like central Iowa is pretty close to completing corn planting, and has a good start on getting the beans planted. Travis Slusher says “they need a day or two to finish up with planting corn.” Central Iowa has received rain this past week which has kept farmers from the fields.

In northwest Iowa, progress sounds good. Bruce Anderson says“95% of corn is in the ground and 80% of beans are planted.” Growth of corn also looks good in NW Iowa with 75% of the corn up and able to be rowed. Sounds like there isn’t any insect problem yet, but Bruce has heard there is a possibility of cut worms that could hatch around the 22^nd of May. He also says that alfalfa and pastures are growing great. He said the forecast for next week looks to be in the 70’s with a couple days is in the lower 80’s.

Jeff Weier in Western Iowa has reported that planting progress is coming along great. He says “99% of corn is planted with 30-40% of the corn being in the V2 stage of growth”. He also said “the beans are about 50-60% planted, and if the weather holds out this week farmers could begin to finish up with beans.” He hasn’t seen any bug or disease issues yet.

In Wayde McNeil’s territory of Jasper, Poweshiek, Marshall, and Tama counties in Iowa, corn planting is pretty much 100% done with most of the corn in the V1 stage and some in the V2 stage. The beans in his territory are 80% planted. He hasn’t seen any bug or disease problems yet. On Sunday May, 17 he said there was a slight frost, but didn’t cause any damage.

In Eastern Nebraska Brian Banks is saying the bean planting is coming along good with a few spotty rain showers keeping some farmers out of the fields. He says “that some beans are starting to emerge this week, and if things go well most farmers will be finishing up this week. Most of the corn is in the V2 stage.” He hasn’t seen any bug, disease, or weather related issues yet. He did say “they are a little behind average with GDD’s at this time.

In South Dakota Bill Eichacker is reporting that planting is happening earlier than previous years, although the northern part of the state is lagging behind due to flooding and rains.

Bob Colins in Central Iowa reported that corn is pretty much all in the ground and beans will be finishing up in 2-3 days. He hasn’t seen any bug or disease issues at this time.

Brad Beatty around Benton County reported that 95% of corn is planted and 60% of beans are planted. The biggest issue in his territory is the cold soil temperatures. He said “some of the corn is rotting instead of growing, so farmers will have to evaluate to see if they need to replant.” With the cold weekend we just had he thought that most of the corn should be fine, but the few beans that have already emerged will also have to be evaluated to see if replanting is necessary.

Jason Obermeyer in Minnesota reported that all corn planting is done and beans should be finishing up this week. He hasn’t noticed any widespread bug or disease issues. Most of the corn has emerged, and all they need is some warmer temperatures to help with growth.

In between showers, our research team has been getting our corn showcase plots planted. These pictures show Bill Latham and Gary Bennett planting our Latham® corn showcase plot near Alta, Iowa. True to the season, this photo was taken after Bill and Gary got wet from a brief shower.

Latham Hi-Tech Seeds planted six corn showcase plots between May 4-6. Four more plots were planted between May 11-13. The seeds were planted with the company’s new corn plot air planter, complete with computer equipment that controls the drop rate and length of row per plot.

OK, so maybe this isn’t as advanced as the biotechnology in our Latham seed brands. But if you’ve ever wanted to play the role of a bug trying to survive, you can do it right here.  Click below to start your game of Bug on a Wire.

It’s not quite YieldGard, Agrisure or CystX, but this will give you something to do while waiting for the snow to melt and planting season to arrive.

Bill Latham of Latham Seeds was interviewed by SeedWorld, a major agricultural and commercial seed media company. Bill shared his thoughts on a variety of topics, from students entering the seed business to shifts in the demand for and roles of genetics and traits.

Click here to take a look at one of the interview installments.

To view the entire six-part series, Giant Views of the Seed Industry, click here.

Bill may have giant views, but Latham Seeds and Latham-Hi-Tech Hybrids are committed to being anything but giants. We just want to keep doing what we’re doing: being a trusted, independent, innovative partner with Midwestern farmers every day, every year.

Yield-robbing aphids have started chewing through the Midwestern soybean crop. That has many farmers scouting their fields, with some even applying insecticide to kill the pests.

Close up photo of a soybean aphid

The crop starts to suffer economic damage, or reduced yield potential, when aphid populations reach an average of 250 per plant throughout the entire field. Consider insecticide treatments only if aphids reach economic- threshold level. I recommend spraying with a good insecticide that has three weeks residual. If you’re unsure about whether to treat or not, consult your Latham representative for advice.

Scouting for aphids should begin in late June, intensifying in July and August, especially if soil conditions are dry. Soybean aphids seem to damage late-planted soybeans more than early planted soybeans. Closely scout your fields as conditions across Iowa fields have hit that sweet spot the last few weeks. Reports from our DSMs Brad Beatty of Shellsburg, Iowa and Wayde McNeil of Grinnell, Iowa indicate counts averaging 350 to 400 per plant, well above economic threshold levels.

Scout five locations per 20 acres. At each location, pick five plants well apart form each other. Turn the leaves over to search for aphids; most will concentrate in the plant terminal. Also be conscious of other insects present in the field. Lady beetles, green lacewings and other beneficial insects eat aphids in Iowa soybean fields beginning in mid-June. These insects can help hold down populations in fields that haven’t reached economic threshold levels.

Soybean Aphids collected on the underside of a soybean leaf

Take special note of winged aphids or broad-shouldered nymphs that are beginning to develop wings.  These are nearing adult stage and will soon leave the plant and even the field. An insecticide may not be needed as the population will rapidly decline.

Have soybean aphids invaded fields in your area? Counts even higher then reported by our DSMs? We want to know what the ”Field Position” looks like in your area! Share your story by leaving a comment below!

From emergence through harvest, there are many opportunities to closely observe performance on all of your hybrids.

Now is the time to review early season problems, and note any effects from insects, disease, cultural practices or weather. It’s important to collect additional production information on hybrid performance by soil type as well as abnormal physical characteristics of plants.

From the vegetative to the reproductive growth stages, it’s important to note the uniformity of pollination throughout each field. Uneven plant height can indicate areas of stress in the field and that, along with other yield limiting factors, can change the timing of corn growth and the development, leading to pollination problems.

Watch for conditions that impact moisture uptake, including insects that destroy roots.  Corn Rootworm (CRW) larvae are ferocious root eaters. CRW is thriving this season and pressure can vary from field-to-field. At this time of year, CRW larvae can be found on roots more easily because they are larger. Scout multiple locations within a field for larvae and make notes on other corn soil pests as well.

Collecting information will give you insights as you plan which hybrids are best for your land next year. The primary focus of Latham Hi-Tech Hybrids’ Seed2Soil program is to help you optimize yield potential by planting the right product, in the right location, for the right reasons.