Week of May 25, 2026 Local, professional reports straight from the field, from all regions serviced by Ag Partners.
Meet this week’s featured Agronomists & AYS Specialists:
Morristown, MN
Wanamingo, MN
Elgin, MN
New Richmond, WI
MINNESOTA – WEST
Belle Plaine – Le Center – Le Sueur – Morristown – Traverse
It appears we are heading into a stretch of hot & dry days ahead, over in the western region. A lot of the April planted corn is V2-3 this week and will probably push past V4 at the end of this week and early next week. With the weather window we have forecasted, many post applications of herbicide will happen in the next 10 days on corn and beans shortly after. This also means that side dress season is upon us. We began doing nitrate sampling this week, with eyes set on the end of the week and early next week to begin applications.
Many applications are done with dry fertilizer and a stabilizer over the top; others are done with liquid with a coulter bar. By using nitrate sampling, we can see the variability of nitrogen levels throughout the field. From those results, we can make variable rate nitrogen applications that not only make sure we are applying enough but that it is applied to the areas that need it the most. This is extremely beneficial for fields that have had manure applications or have big variations in soil types.
Pictured below is a map of nitrate sample results taken from a field that had been applied with manure the fall prior. We are shooting to be around 30 ppm of nitrates to finish the growing season, and you can see just how variable the field can be. – Garrett
MINNESOTA – EAST
Goodhue – Kenyon – Lake City – Pine Island – Wanamingo
Crops will be taking off with the recent moisture and the heat we are receiving. With that being said, weeds will be taking off too! Try to stay on top of these emerging weeds- the best way to have a clean field at the end of the year, is to keep it clean early! Weather is currently cooperating with us as we continue our corn post applications. Looking into the near future, corn top dressing with fire up soon as well. Now would be a good time to talk with your local Ag Partners agronomist and review your plans on both spraying and spreading that will need to be done. Stay safe out there! – Justin
MINNESOTA – SOUTH
Elgin – Lewiston – Stewartville
With spring about wrapped up and post spraying just starting to kick off, I want to hit the pause button and reflect on a couple things that I have noticed up to this point. Brevant B04J45V has shown yet again how well the stress emergence is on that hybrid. It did very well last year emerging out of the ground, and with the cooler temps and crusting it has encountered this Spring, it has shown just how good the stress emergence really is. I compare a lot of hybrids to B04J45 and a few other hybrids that also impressed me were Brevant B99R54V, Dekalb 99-59SSPRO, and the NEW Brevant B02C66PCE. The new B02C66PCE was very close with B04J45V in emergence, but I will say the B99R54V and the Dekalb 99-59SSPRO were neck and neck in being number 1 in emergence. I can’t wait to see how these specific hybrids do, and the all the other new hybrids do, throughout the growing season.
On the soybeans side, I wanted to mention a soybean treatment that has caught my eye, especially on the early planted soybeans. It is called Ascend ST3. It is a PGR from Winfield United. It helps alleviate stress on the plant, which then helps the plant get up out of the ground and push the plant along quicker. Also improving root growth in the early stages. From what I have seen, the early planted beans are showing great signs that the Ascend ST3 is working and doing exactly what it’s supposed to do.
One last thing, we have been busy collecting seed/package returns, sorting, breaking down boxes, and sending returns back to the seed companies. If you have any corn or soybean seed that needs to be returned, that deadline is JUNE 15TH. Boxes and pallets are July 3rd. Please reach out to your Ag Partners Agronomist or Sead Lead if you have any returns left and we can get those taken care of. Hope everyone has a great summer, and I can’t wait to see how some of these products preform again! – Tanner
WESTERN WISCONSIN
Durand – Ellsworth – New Richmond – Osseo
Corn and soybean planting has moved ahead quickly across western Wisconsin over the past couple of weeks, thanks to favorable field conditions and several extended planting windows. Earlier planted corn is approaching V2-V3 and soybeans are progressing, while showing some signs of early stress depending on planting date and soil conditions. Recent warmer temperatures have accelerated emergence and early growth significantly.
Weeds are becoming more visible in both corn and soybean fields as temperatures begin to rise. Pre-emerge herbicide applications that received rainfall shortly after are generally performing well, while fields that remained dry may see more breakthrough pressure over the next 7-10 days. Timely post-emerge applications will be important as weeds continue to grow under warmer conditions.
Overall, crops across western Wisconsin are off to a strong start. The next couple of weeks will be important for staying ahead of weed pressure and protecting yield potential as warmer and more humid conditions continue. -Ashlee
