Week of June 23, 2025 Local, professional reports straight from the field,
from all regions serviced by Ag Partners.
Meet this week’s featured agronomists:
Morristown, MN
Goodhue, MN
Elgin & Stewartville, MN
Ellsworth, WI
WEST
Belle Plaine – Le Center – Le Sueur – Morristown – Traverse
This week in our western area, brought a wide range of weather events. We started off super warm and windy and are now ending the week with some rain and storm events. I hope everyone avoids severe weather! At this point in the summer, corn post herbicide applications are wrapped up and most of the in-season nitrogen has been applied. With the warm weather we have been experience, almost everyone was able to begin or finish soybean herbicide passes this past week. The corn has been on a growing rampage this past week! We have been slightly behind average on GDUs this summer, but this past weekend really helped. The corn is mostly waist high and canopying, while the beans have finally taken off after looking stagnant for a while. When the crop grows at such a high rate, it is a great time to scout for deficiencies so that we know where we can improve on for next year or correct in season.
The picture above shows some corn that has flew up this week and beginning to show sulfur deficiencies, which you can tell by the striping on the leaves. This can be corrected with a Y drop pass with 32% and ATS.
Lastly, we are already creeping up on fungicide season! The middle/ third week of July looks to be when a lot of the corn will tassel, so make sure to keep in touch with your agronomist on getting a timely fungicide applied on the corn! – Garrett
EAST
Goodhue – Kenyon – Lake City – Pine Island – Wanamingo
Corn and beans have started to really grow in the last week here in Goodhue County, and overall the crops look great! We are wrapping up with corn spraying and are currently spraying our post-emerge herbicides on the soybeans. We may be a few weeks away from spraying fungicide, but the appearance of Tar Spot symptoms could be just around the corner. Disease progression is typically faster in areas with higher rainfall, as moisture and humidity create perfect conditions for infection. The map below shows the percentage of normal rainfall for the year, highlighting areas with above-average rainfall. These areas with above normal rainfall will most likely be at a higher risk and should be monitored more closely to ensure timely fungicide applications.
Contact your agronomist if you’re concerned about your risk of Tar Spot or need assistance identifying it on your farm. – Hannah
SOUTH
Elgin – Lewiston – Stewartville
“Hurry up and wait.”
That pretty much sums up the season so far. Across southeastern Minnesota, we’ve been juggling scattered rains and gusty winds that seem to show up just when the sprayers are ready to roll. Thankfully, despite the variability, we’ve avoided a lot of the major washouts that the central/western parts of the state have experienced— we have not had a lot of huge downpours in short windows. The rains have been timely for the most part, and that’s made a huge difference.
Even with the weather curveballs, we’ve kept a good pace. A lot of corn and soybean spraying is behind us, and side-dress applications have gone well. Corn is looking excellent in much of our area— we had a lot of fields with great emergence and with the heat we had last weekend it has closed the rows on many fields. Soybeans had a little bit of a tougher start. Emergence was spotty in some fields, but they’re finally starting to even out with more consistency as temperatures rise.
We’re in the home stretch for post-emerge spraying on soybeans, aiming to wrap that up in the next couple of weeks. But as one window closes, we look to the next. Corn and soybean fungicide applications will start in the coming month. With recent timely rains and fluctuating temperatures, both corn and soybeans may be at higher risk for foliar disease development heading into July.
On a year where every bushel matters, we know firsthand how much yield can be lost in a high-disease pressure year. With this season shaping up to deliver high yield potential, protecting every bushel makes sense—and a well-timed fungicide application should be a critical part of the plan. Hope you all have a great rest of your summer! – Hailey
WISCONSIN
Ellsworth
Western Wisconsin crops are progressing well as we near the end of June. Corn is currently in the V5-V7 growth stages, with many fields showing strong stands and a dark green color. Most growers are wrapping up sidedness nitrogen applications, with favorable soil conditions allowing timely fieldwork until the recent rains. Soybeans are also advancing with most fields now at the V6-V8 stages. The second pass of herbicide applications is underway across the region, with growers working around scattered rain events to stay on schedule. Weather-wise, the past week brought some challenges. On June 19th, isolated hailstorms stomped a path from New Richmond southeast to Nelson. This caused moderate leaf damage in some corn and soybeans fields. Then June 25th, heavy rains led to ponding and saturated soil in low-lying areas, especially along poorly drained fields. Despite these localized setbacks, the overall crop condition remains very good. With continued warm temperatures and more manageable rainfall, both corn and soybeans are positioned well as we head into July. – Brady
