Live from the Field: May Scouting Report
Our interns have hit the ground running covering Southeast Iowa on foot, scouting our Iowa gold. The crop has risen again!
After our stretch of ideal planting weather ended, mother nature decided to shake things up and give us a run for our money; our crops are now showing the result of this. The cool temperatures and stormy days left our 2016 crop looking yellow, frostbitten and stressed. Sunshine and rising temperatures are all we can ask for right now. Weed populations are being managed across our territory but no major trends are being observed.
Slow emerging beans have been consistent across our territory.
Things to look out for in the coming weeks is early disease breakouts and insect feeding. We have had several phone calls on Pythium concerns in fields that were planted with a cover crop between growing seasons. Pythium is a disease that needs water to produce its free-swimming spores that infect our crops. Light brown to tan discoloration on the tissue is a sign that Pythium is taking form. In more developed stages, the plants will collapse and no visible roots will be seen when the plant is removed from the soil.
The insects we recommend looking out for are Black Cutworm and Armyworm in corn, and Bean Leaf Beetles in soybeans. Keeping an eye on your white grub population is also a good indicator of future Japanese Beetle feedings to come.
Lastly, we encourage you to keep ahead of the game on your weed populations in both your corn and your soybean fields. Fewer stressors early in the growing season can only help improve your chances of an increased yield later in the season.
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