Soybeans aphids from today, July 30. Click to enlarge.
Soybean Aphids found in Waushara county today. Please check your soybean fields every 3 to 5 days to make sure you don’t have a population that is building. Let us know if you need any help looking for this pest.
– Rob Shields, Agronomist
Please keep a close eye on your corn fields, especially those with a lot of trash or weeds. These photos taken by Wayne Roemer, an Agronomist out of our Plover location, show the extreme damage they cause. Wayne took these photos 8 miles south of Waupaca. Sally Turpin, an Agronomist out of our Mauston location, also found a heavily damaged field just north of Mauston. This pest moves rapidly and can leave only the stalk and mid rib on the corn plant. It is important to spray before the damage gets this bad. Please let us know if you need any help checking your fields.
– Rob Shields, Agronomist
Armyworms in Waushara county.
Armyworms in Waushara county.
Armyworm damage north of Mauston.
Today we looked at a number of soybean fields that have been attacked by a number of soil born diseases. Because of the extreme conditions this season – cool and wet, then hot and dry – a lot of fields are starting to show problem areas. The field pictured below in particular looks like it has some areas of rhizoctonia starting. We are sending some samples down to the plant pathology lab to confirm our diagnosis.
– Rob Shields, Agronomist
Diseased area in soybean field.
Rhizoctonia in soybeans.
With third crop well on its way, we are checking to see where the fertility levels are. This way if some crop nutrients are needed, we can add some in when we spray the alfalfa for potato leaf hoppers. Please let us know if we can assist you in managing this crop.
– Rob Shields, Agronomist
Alfalfa tissue sampling.
Tissue sampling in Galesville, WI.
A lot of our field and vegetable crops are now being attacked by Japanese Beetles, see photos. They consume the leaves of many crops, such as corn, soybeans, snap beans, tomatoes, melons, etc. Please check your fields now or contact one of our Allied Cooperative agronomists to assist you.
– Rob Shields, Agronomist
Soybean aphid (photo courtesy of Wikimedia)
Attention! Soybean Aphid Alert! Soybean aphids have started to hit our area. We found out some fields are at threshold. I just visited with a grower whose fields are in Southern Adams county and Northern Columbia county and he has soybeans fields that need to get sprayed. Be sure to use a minimum of 15 gallons of water and a lot of pressure to get good coverage. I have had very good results using Leverage 360 insecticide in the past at the 2.8 oz rate. If you are spraying the field consider tank mixing in a foliar micronutrient package, such as Max in ZMB, and/or a foliar fungicide such as Stratego YLD at 4 oz. Please contact one of our agronomists to find the best recipe for your acres. Thanks and be safe out there!
– Rob Shields, Agronomist
UPDATE (5:36pm): In talking with our team up in Galesville this afternoon it sounds like the Soybean aphids are very bad up on the Trempealeau Prairie, just west and a little north of our Galesville location. They are ordering in more Leverage to combat this pest. Please check your fields on a regular basis. Typically the threshold is at 250 aphids per plant.
Corn is moving along rapidly now with this heat. I had a customer send me some photos last night from his fields showing the first tassels emerging and even some fresh silk present. These photos were taken from north western Columbia county.
– Rob Shields, Agronomist
First tassels
Fresh silk
Insect damage seen in Adams County, WI, on July 2.
Over the next couple weeks, it will be very important to keep an eye on your fields for insect damage and to topdress your fields with the correct recipe.
With the increase in temperatures, we need to keep a closer eye on our crops for insect damage. Yesterday one of our scouts, Bryan Decker, sent in some photos of some insect damage in northern Adams county.
Also with the constant flushing of the soil profile we are encouraging growers to evaluate fertility shortfalls in their crop ASAP. When the need is established, a liquid or dry fertilizer recipe should be developed and applied to the field as soon as possible. A lot of our corn is at or past the V6 stage, when the number of rows around is established. We want to make sure that our corn has all it needs at this critical stage. Also in preparation for the rapid growth phase, V8 to VT, the plant is going to be taking up a lot of nutrients. Our agronomists have done a lot of tissue testing this past week and a lot of the samples are showing some deficiencies. The major nutrient deficiencies are Nitrogen, Potassium, and Sulfur. Some micros that have shown up as low have been Zinc, Manganese, and Boron. If you are topdressing your corn please make sure you are putting together the appropriate recipe for your fields. Contact one of our agronomists to assist you in this process. Thanks and have a safe Fourth of July!
– Rob Shields, Agronomist
Progress continues at our Tomah facility! Take a look at the photos below.
– Rob Shields, Agronomist
Armyworms found today north of Adams near Coloma. Please check your fields for this pest, they will move FAST with this heat. Let us know if you need any help checking your fields. If you are seeing more than 8% damage I would encourage you to spray an insecticide such as Arctic at 6 oz per acre ASAP. Contact us for more details!
– Rob Shields, Agronomist
