The one-stop-shop to hearing everything you need to know this week about what is happening in your fields.

Scroll down to hear from your local agronomist.

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West
Belle Plaine – LeCenter – LeSueur

Adam Steffel

It’s the middle of August and field work has slowed down. Now it’s up to mother nature to bring us the rest of the way. With the rain from a few weeks ago, it should bring us a long way to help fill out the corn kernels and soybean pods.

A few things to keep an eye on is that in some pockets of the area we have seen some spider mites and soybean diseases. The spider mites will leave a bronzing look to the soybeans and will start on the edge of the field and work in. We have also been seeing some Sudden Death and White Mold in the area. There is nothing that can be done to help the soybeans fight them off this season, but it is good to take note on these diseases and get a game plan for next year. Some solutions could include lowering populations in the white mold areas, applying the right fungicides to prevent white mold, and applying a soybean seed treatment to prevent Sudden Death.

Soybeans showing symptoms of Sudden Death Syndrome.

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East  
Pine Island – Cannon Falls -Goodhue -Lake City

Tyrell Treptow

SEPTEMBER AGRONOMY CHECKLIST

• Keep an eye on the insects
  1. SOYBEAN APHIDS & SPIDER MITES
  2. ALFALFA POTATO LEAFHOPPERS
     1. Drought stress will compound yield reductions

Spider Mite symptomology – notice speckles on the leaves.

• Corn Yield Checks
  1. Are the Corn rootworms thriving?
  2. What is performing well?
     1. How was pollination?
     2. Stress management?

See above the poor pollination of the ear, likely due to dry weather during pollination.

• Fall Lime and Fertilizer Recommendations
  1. Spring 2021 samples to go over
  2. Update old samples

• Weed Mapping
  1. Same spot every year?
  2. New weeds?
     1. Palmer Amaranth has been found locally

Waterhemp continuing to grow after a high rate of cobra. It will be something to keep in mind for weed management next year.

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Central
Owatonna – Morristown – Wanamingo – Kenyon

Justin Schaefer

After not getting rainfall for weeks, we finally got anywhere from 1 – 2.5 inches over the first full weekend in August.  That moisture should go a long way in adding kernel depth, filling pods and adding test weight to our crops.

 

In talking with growers, I’ve heard many say they can’t believe how well our crops are hanging in there and I couldn’t agree more.  We may not always like the price tag on our seed, but you can’t argue how well these new hybrids and varieties perform over all the different conditions we go through on a given year.

Yes, things still look good overall and I still believe we will get good yields, but the hot/dry days, not to discount the hot nights as well which never gave our crops time to rest, put a lot of stress on the plants in our area and likely took top end yields away.

In walking fields, I am seeing some common themes.  In corn, there is a fair amount of tip back.  Cobs are still good size and like I said above, we can still add kernel depth and test weight, but many of our ears weren’t able to fill as well as we’d like to see.

Ear not pollinated to the top.

Spider mites, white mold and SDS have been starting to show up in areas in our soybeans.  In the picture below you will see spider mite damage.  Many times with spider mites, you will see the damage first on field edges and it grows from there under hot and dry conditions.  Rain helps as fungal diseases attack the spider mites, otherwise certain insecticides can be used where needed.

Spider mite symptomology on leaves

Enjoy what’s left of summer!  Hopefully more rain will hit us this weekend and boost our yields!!!

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South
Lewiston

Brett Decker

The dog daze of summer are here.  The corn and soybeans are looking good to excellent in Southeast Minnesota.  Most corn is now just starting to dent.  The soybeans are in the R5.5-6 stage and nearing maturity in about 25-35 days.  For some growers third crop alfalfa is completed and fourth crop of alfalfa is mostly being harvested this week and next.

As you get out and start scouting some fields, do some yield estimates, you will begin to see the damage that the rootworm beetles have done or are starting to do with kernels missing.  You will notice where the kernels have come out of the husk cover on some varieties, the chewing and burrowing has begun from insects as well.

As we near the finish line for corn over the next 30 days be looking for nitrogen deficiencies and any type of crown or stalk rots that may develop.  One other thing to observe is how the uneven emergence from last spring has affected the size of ears but on the other side where population was lost notice how some varieties have flexed in length.  In soybeans we are starting to see some disease pressure.  A little sudden death syndrome has showed up mainly on headlands where compaction is an issue.  The big one is white mold.  Nearly every field I’ve been in white mold has been present.

White Mold patch showing up in field

Insect pressure in soybeans has been relatively low this summer.  Occasionally you can find some aphids but more often you will find chewing on leaves from Japanese Beetles on field edges.

Japanese Beetles chewing holes in soybean leaves.

With the crops looking good here and as harvest approaches remember to be replacing those nutrients that will be taken off the field.  It is always a great choice to get the potassium and phosphorus replaced this fall for the 2022 crops.

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WWAS
Ellsworth

Luke Daninger

Join Luke for a quick update from the field!