2010 Crop is Ahead of One- and Five-Year Averages

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Shannon Latham, Vice President

Another week of favorable weather has helped push crops ahead of the one- and five year averages, according to a recent Wallaces Farmer article. Farmers began harvesting corn for silage and could be harvesting for grain in early September.

Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) continues to be a concern for soybean growers throughout the Upper Midwest. This year has had one of the worst epidemics since SDS was found in Iowa in 1994, says XB Yang of Iowa State University’s Department of Plant Pathology.

Mark Grundmeier, Latham’s soybean product manager, agrees that SDS is the worst in 2010 that he’s seen in his career. Click the below video to listen to Mark talk about why SDS is so much more prevalent this year.

Northwest Iowa

Because 1,000 variables affect yield – seed bed preparation, weed pressure, type of bean planted (Cyst resistant, trait packages, etc.), plant health protection used, etc. – Tom Larson says it’s not easy to predict how SDS might impact yield. Soybeans that have been infected with SDS continue to decline and drop leaves. A majority of the corn in his northern Iowa territory has entered the early stages of dent. Tom has noticed increased populations of corn aphids on the upper leaves, as well as around the ear. If these numbers continue to increase or are already at populations over 1,000 per plant, an insecticide application might be necessary. Studies show that at least ½ bushel per day can be lost to corn aphids.

Northeast Iowa

Nick Benson reports that corn silage harvest has begun in earnest. Overall, farmers are positive about this year’s silage crop although there are a few obvious tough spots from excessive moisture. Rainfall has been so variable: one area got hit very hard by total rainfall throughout the summer, but just 20 miles to the north, fields there received just the right amount. While SDS has been capturing everyone’s attention lately, Nick believes farmers here will be pleasantly surprised with this fall’s soybean yields. In areas without SDS, he’s predicting record-breaking crops. Yesterday he randomly walked into a field planted to Latham® L2440 Roundup Ready 2 Yield Soybeans and pulled two plants with five, four-bean pods! He says he’s having a hard time finding L2440 R2’s without four-bean pods. On the corn side, Nick believes areas without excessive moisture will produce extremely high yields. From viewing Latham® showcase plots, he believes the new Latham LH 5622 3000GT will be the hybrid to beat this coming year. It’s throwing a very nice ear with some great plant health.

Wisconsin

Steve Bailie reports corn silage harvest began this week, and many of the fields being harvested for corn silage are coming out at 65 to 70% moisture. The majority of ears of corn in the fields have reached full dent, and many of the husks have already started to loosen up. Anthracnose is showing up inside the corn plant if you cut it to look at the nodes. Many nodes are starting to turn brown. Some of the soybean fields are showing symptoms of SDS, white mold and brown stem rot. Even though disease is present, Steve predicts that yields will still be adequate simply because the diseases didn’t show up until late in the growing season. Latham® Hi-Tech Soybean L1936R has once again proven its value by as not white mold is present in these fields.

South Central Iowa

Travis Slusher’s region is still receiving weekly rainfall, with another 1.5 inches recorded in the past week. Corn and soybeans are progressing nicely despite all of the moisture this growing season. SDS is still the main topic of conversation on the soybean side, and fortunately Latham® brand soybeans have handled the pressure better than others throughout the majority of his area. Corn is denting nicely with Latham® Hi-Tech Hybrids LH 6167 VT3Pro, LH 5877 VT3Pro, and LH 5645 3000GT looking like some powerful new hybrids for South Central Iowa.

Central Iowa

Kevin Meyer says seed corn harvest began last week in his territory, which is a good 10 to 14 days earlier than normal. Kernels depth and test weight continue to be a concern due to hot weather. Corn earworm damage should be evaluated this fall as earworm moth flights were very high this year. Fortunately, Latham has some great new technologies in the 2011 product lineup to help control above- ground insects in the field. SDS is the hot topic at local plot days. He encourages farmers to take crop notes and see how SDS is affecting different soybean varieties. As these fields return to soybean production in 2012, good management decisions will help eliminate this problem in the future.

East Central Iowa

In a year when disease is prevalent, Brad Beatty said some corn numbers from Latham Hi-Tech Hybrids are displaying a sound defensive package. The following new hybrids are looking good in his plots: LH 5426 VT3Pro, LH 5494 3000GT, LH 5645 3000GT, LH 6167 VT3Pro, and LH 6068 VT3.

These new Latham® hybrids appear to be fending off is anthracnose, which is one disease that is becoming a problem this season in Brad’s territory. Anthracnose is related, favoring wet periods and warm nights. Disease severity can be increased by extended periods of overcast conditions and high humidity. It’s also more problematic in corn-on-corn situations because the fungus over-winters in corn residue. Crop rotation is a way to help control anthracnose, so keep this in mind as you order seed for the 2011 planting season.

Minnesota

Jason Obermeyer reports that soybeans and corn are progressing nicely in his area. The first signs of maturing corn are a welcome treat for those who can’t stand the summer heat because we know cooler temps on the way! One local dairy producer said yesterday that he will be chopping corn in two weeks. Soybeans still look good, although about an inch of rain would be welcome in South Central Minnesota now. Some of the hills are dipping back, indicating that moisture is needed.

Eastern Nebraska

Crops are about 10 to 12 days ahead of last year’s, says Mike Lorenz. Cattle Feeders have been cutting silage. Beans are getting closer to coloring; corn is in full dent stage and early black layer. The concern now is disease. He’s seeing a variety of diseases affecting soybeans in his region. Sudden Death Syndrome is prevalent in central Nebraska while Stem Canker is affecting the northeast corner of the state. Despite these challenges, he says it will still be a relatively good year for crops.

Central Nebraska

Steve Edwards says it looks like an early harvest this year. The corn crop is fully dented. Farmers have been chopping for a week in areas where silage is put up. Symptoms of SDS are showing up in the soybean crop where there was excess moisture and compacted soil. Beans also have been expressing some heat stress because they’re in their peak demand for moisture as the pods fill.

Northern Missouri

Rick Foster reports that soybeans are looking good except for areas where they drowned out.

Widespread SDS has many asking, “What do I do?”

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Shannon Latham, Vice President

In last week’s crop report, we highlighted the fact that SDS has been widespread in Iowa and surrounding states. One reason we’re seeing widespread SDS this year is because fields have experienced the perfect storm: soils that were compacted last fall due to a late and wet harvest were also wet and cool during the 2010 planting season. As a result, ideal conditions were created for the soil-borne fungus that causes SDS.

Farmers throughout Latham service areas, including Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Missouri and South Dakota, have been asking repeatedly, “What should I do?”

Although there isn’t anything you can do right now to minimize the severity of damage from SDS this season, there are multiple management practices you can employ to help ensure SDS doesn’t strike again in the future. Ways to avoid future SDS damage include:

Crop rotation – Make sure you don’t plant beans-on-beans in fields that have been hit with SDS. Note fields where SDS is especially prevalent. Crop notes will help you plant a soybean brand with high SDS tolerance in those areas the next time you plant soybeans.
Tillage – No-till practices allow soil to remain cooler and wetter longer, which can increase the severity of SDS. Tilling helps change soil conditions to be more adverse to SDS.
Planting Date – Planting at a later date can help reduce the risk of SDS, as well.
And Variety Selection – Variety selection is incredibly important. Choose soybeans brands that have high SDS tolerance. Latham^® brands that have done very well in SDS-affected soils include the following:
1. L2085R
2. L2767R2
3. L2987L
4. L2648R2
5. L2875R
6. L3268R2

We will follow up with additional blogs on SDS this week. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have about your own fields. Are you seeing SDS in your fields? If so, to what degree?

Crop Conditions in Latham Country

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Shannon Latham, Vice President

In this week’s crop report, you’ll see some references to corn that’s tipping back or experiencing premature denting. Yesterday, a Wallaces Farmer article highlighted the topic. Brian Lang, Iowa State University Extension area agronomist at Decorah said, “Corn is showing some ‘tipping back’ of the kernels at the ends of the ears, which is normal.” If there is no ‘tipping back,’ that usually means that excessive seeding rate would have resulted in higher yield.

Lang went on to explain, once the ears reach the R2 (blister) stage, if the plant is stressed and starts to ‘become less optimistic,’ kernel abortion will occur from tipping back. Kernel abortion will continue to the end of R3 (milk) stage if stress is present. Once the plants are into the R4 (dough) stage, the only adjustment the plant can make is to the kernel size. Early denting would be an indicator that the plants are continuing to be ‘less optimistic’ and are adjusting kernel size down, which will result in lighter kernels at harvest.

Click here for the full article.

Northeast Iowa

Nick Benson reports the corn is maturing nicely although there is some tipping back from excessive moisture. Some early silage harvest is underway. He’s seeing some ear worm and army worm pressure, but Latham® Hi-Tech Hybrids LH 5777 SS ears look perfect! Beans are in the R5 to R6 stage with very little spraying being done for aphids. Latham Hi-Tech Soybeans L 2440 R2 look awesome. There are a lot of four-bean pods plus the pods are higher on the plant this year, which will help in harvest. Northwest Iowa looks to have very good bean crop to harvest.

East Central Iowa

Brad Beatty reports many eastern Iowa corn fields showing signs of tipping back, so many farmers are asking me why it’s so prevalent this year. He said we usually want one-half to 1 inch of tip back, which indicates we’re pushing the population to its limit. If we have no tip back, we probably should have pushed the population. Under very wet and cloudy conditions, the corn plant doesn’t function efficiently. It’s not producing enough sugar to fill the whole ear, so the tip becomes expendable.

Tipping back is caused by embryonic kernel abortion due to poor or unfavorable conditions. Kernels will shrink with the embryo visible (yellowish in color). Kernels are susceptible to abortion during the blister and milk stage with the tip being most sensitive. Stresses that affect kernel development early in the grain fill period can be: excessive heat, drought, nitrogen loss, high disease infestations, cloudy weather, excessive seeding rate, wet conditions, compaction, cool temps, etc. These stresses can also lead to early denting indicating that the plants are continuing to be less optimistic and are “down sizing” the kernel size; which can result in lighter test weight. Stresses this year are heat, nitrogen loss, high disease pressure, cloudy weather, wet conditions, and compaction. Growers need to scout their fields before getting surprised when harvest hits. The bad news is there is nothing we can do at this stage of growth to change this scenario.

Central Iowa

Kevin Meyer says his area lucked out and missed heavy rains and winds this past week. Corn continues to progress with most kernels dented at this time. Preliminary yield estimates are being made with much of this crop looking good considering the weather challenges during the last couple of months. SDS is the major concern for soybeans. Aphid counts stayed below economic thresholds, so very little treatment was actually applied. Great weather is being forecast for plot days.

Many eastern Iowa corn fields are showing tip back, so many farmers are asking me why it’s so prevalent this year. We usually want one-half to 1 inch of tip back, which indicates we’re pushing the population to its limit. If we have no tip back, we probably should have pushed the population. Under very wet and cloudy conditions, the corn plant doesn’t function efficiently. It’s not producing enough sugar to fill the whole ear, so the tip becomes expendable.

Tipping back is caused by embryonic kernel abortion due to poor or unfavorable conditions. Kernels will shrink with the embryo visible (yellowish in color). Kernels are susceptible to abortion during the blister and milk stage with the tip being most sensitive. Stresses that affect kernel development early in the grain fill period can be: excessive heat, drought, nitrogen loss, high disease infestations, cloudy weather, too high a populations, wet conditions, compaction, cool temps, etc. These stresses can also lead to early denting indicating that the plants are continuing to be less optimistic and are “down sizing” the kernel size; which can result in lighter test weight. Stresses this year are heat, nitrogen loss, high disease pressure, cloudy weather, wet conditions, and compaction. Growers need to scout their fields before getting surprised when harvest hits. The bad news is there is nothing we can do at this stage of growth to change this scenario.

North Central Iowa

Sudden Death Syndrome continues to prevail in soybeans across north central Iowa. Now is the perfect time of year to take crop notes, so in the future, you can plant different varieties in affected fields. Corn continues on a rapid pace with isolated diseases like Eye Spot, Grey Leaf Spot and some Gosses Wilt in the western part of this territory.

South Central Iowa

Gentle showers fell early this week across South Central Iowa. Although conditions have improved immensely this week, several spots are still showing effects of last week’s flood. Travis Slusher’s area will struggle with harvest due to stalk and grain quality issues from the debris left in flooded areas. Corn across much of his territory is denting, and beans are filling the pods nicely. The usual foliar diseases are present without one being more prevalent than the next. Travis said he still hasn’t seen very many issues with aphids but some growers went ahead and added a residual insecticide with the fungicide when spraying beans.

Wisconsin

Steve Bailie’s area was hit by storms and high winds, which caused some soybeans to lodge. It’s been interesting to see the difference in the standability between soybean varieties; standability issues will be magnified as white mold sets in. There are a few fields suffering from Sudden Death Syndrome and Brown Stem Rot, as well. At the beginning of last week, you had to be in the fields to detect these diseases but now you can see it from the road. Many dairy farmers are switching their choppers from hay to corn. A few samples last week dried down to 70% moisture after being tested, so corn silage harvest is only about 7-14 days away. Many of the fields I’ve been walking are denting or are at full dent stage in southwest Wisconsin. With tomorrow’s field day at Bailie farms, many growers will get a first-hand look at what Latham can provide to help them hit their yield and personal goals. It’s a very exciting year to be in agriculture!

Minnesota

Farmers in Jason Obermeyer’s area continue to spray for aphids, and there are a lot of bean fields showing SDS and some BSR symptoms. Latham Hi-Tech Soybeans L 2085 R look fantastic as do L 2440 RR2 and L 2183 RR2. Corn is ahead of schedule, and if the heat remains, we should harvest lots of bushels.

South Dakota

Several rainfalls of one inch or more occurred again in Bill Eichacker’s region this past week. Temperatures have been warmer than average, pushing the crop development. Over half of the corn is at or beyond the R4 stage, with 10% at the R5 stage. Corn crop development is slightly ahead of South Dakota’s five-year average. Sudden Death Syndrome, white mold and aphids are present in soybeans. Over 80% of the soybeans are at the R5 stage.

Eastern Nebraska

While walking fields this week, Mike Lorenz hasn’t seen a lot of insects, bug damage, or fungus on the soybean crops. It’s turning out to be a great year for the soybeans despite the wet weather. Corn is in early black layer, and fertility levels seem to be holding out so far.