Week of June 2, 2025 Local, professional reports straight from the field,
from all regions serviced by Ag Partners.
Meet this week’s featured agronomists:
Le Center, MN
Goodhue, MN
Elgin, MN
Ellsworth, WI
Please note the upcoming deadlines for Seed returns:
- Corn due by June 15
- Soybeans due by July 3
- Packaging/pallets/black boxes due by July 3
Returns received after these dates will be subject to a restocking fee.
WEST
Belle Plaine – Le Center – Le Sueur – Morristown – Traverse
It’s been a solid Spring for getting seed out to the farm in a timely manner. Check out the before-and-after photo below — in just two short months, we cleared out the Le Center warehouse from full to empty boxes & pallets. We spend all winter filling the warehouse, to the point where it is bursting from the seams and it is always so amazing to see just how fast it all disperses.
Despite some rainy stretches, we were able to stay ahead and get seed delivered in-between all the showers. This Spring, we saw a large number of soybeans get planted before corn in our region. This does present some different operational undertakings, and I’d like to thank all the agronomists & customers for great communication in making everything run smoothly.
As we move into June, we have started our returns process. I would like to send a friendly reminder to all that any corn returns are due by June 15th. Please have all soybeans, black boxes, and pallets returned by the end of June. This helps with cleaning up customer invoices & allows Ag Partners to close out the seed season cleanly and efficiently. Thanks again for trusting us with your seed needs this year. If you have any replant questions or billing concerns, please be sure to reach out to your Agronomist or myself. – Connor
EAST
Goodhue – Kenyon – Lake City – Pine Island – Wanamingo
60 Day Rainfall Percent of Normal: NOAA SE MN:
Within SE MN, spring rainfalls have mostly been near normal with some pockets of slightly above and pockets of slightly below. Nitrogen losses are expected to be minimal to average, depending on soil type and rainfall events. Side dressing corn will be in full swing once the conditions dry out from the last rainfall.
Year to Date Daily Average Temperatures: Cannon Falls, MN:
Temperatures have been much more variable than rainfall this year. Per the graph above, the red is above normal and blue indicating below daily normal. Early April planted corn and soybeans are off to a good start, taking advantage of early GDU accumulation in early May. Some early planted corn on sand will close the rows in a couple weeks. Both April and May planted corn have good stands, with final stands 90-95% of targeted planting rate. This is encouraging for achieving higher yields in 2025. Soybeans planted around Mother’s Day are finally emerging after being delayed by 10+ days of cold temperatures. The wide soybean planting window with the temperature swings we experienced could potentially cause swings in soybean yield this year. Time will tell. – Casey
SOUTH
Elgin – Lewiston – Stewartville
Where did May go?! Here we are in the first week of June already and this month will be busy with pesticide applications. We are starting to spray our corn post emerge products, with layered residual control, and will be back in the fields as soon as the fields dry up from the recent rain. The pre-emerge residuals on the corn are looking great again this year. I do not recall a time when the pre-emerge investment didn’t pay dividends.
Soybeans will be hitting the magic 30-day layered residual program date here soon. The pre-emerge herbicides on soybeans look great, too.
With alfalfa rebounding from the recent cutting, it will also be time to scout these fields for insects and disease over the next 7-14 days. Most of the alfalfa has been fertilized over the past week and with the recent rain, second cutting should be great if we don’t let insects or disease take away from its potential.
Have a productive June with application and get your summer vacation planned out as July is just around the corner! – Steve
WISCONSIN
Ellsworth
Things are starting to heat up finally as we enter the month of June. After some much needed rainfalls paired with unwanted temperature drops two weeks ago, much of the corn here in Western Wisconsin was looking pretty tough. The soil saturation and cooler temperatures triggered quite a bit of stress and turned many fields yellow, while delaying the emergence of others. Some fields even displayed browned tissue on the edge of the leaves, which may have been due to being sprayed recently before the cool weather. The environmental stress on top of trying to metabolize the applied product had some of those plants working overtime. It is important to note that the leaf response is merely cosmetic and the plant will grow out of it. Looking at the forecast, I’d say we are well on our way back to better conditions as the forecast stays at 50 degrees and above from now on.
That being said, as we move into the sidedress season, be sure to pay close attention to the forecast. It may call for rain, but will it be enough to incorporate that second pass of nitrogen applied? Volatilization can cause up to 20% of N loss in just 5 days of sitting on top of the soil. Hot days followed by moist conditions (not enough moisture to incorporate), then quickly dried soil offers the best possibility for this to occur. Don’t forget to protect that investment and consider the use of a Agrotain with every sidedress application.
I hope everyone has a happy June Dairy Month and we continue to see crops push ahead into this growing season! – Kirsten
