Scouting fields and nailing the timing is critical to the success of weed control. Pictured below is a prime example. The difference between the left (treated) and the right (untreated) is 9 days! Within those 9 days the waterhemp population exploded and is over 4 inches in height making it much harder to kill than before. The weed pressure was there in the trial on the left, but with a timely post application when the weeds were smaller than 2 inches it really shows the impact of spraying weeds when they are small.

-Matt Thompson

I am seeing some weed escapes on the outer edges of corn fields. This can sometimes be the most challenging part of the fields to get herbicide response. Spray timely after irrigation. End guns on pivots have a tendency to not water evenly, so your outsides can be drought stressed at times. Keep carrier volumes up and run the appropriate adjuvant for the herbicide and weed your targeting.

-Dusty Danos

Don’t forget to scout your corn fields for corn rootworm activity. While east-central Illinois is generally considered a low-pressure area, conventional and Double Pro acres remain vulnerable. It’s important to remember that insecticide applications at tassel timing only target adult beetles. In areas with historically high corn rootworm pressure, incorporating at-plant insecticides and utilizing rootworm-protected traits is highly recommended for more effective control. If you’re seeing elevated adult populations during tassel timing, consider enhancing your pyrethroid-based insecticide program with Steward insecticide. This adds an additional mode of action, helping to improve efficacy and reduce resistance risk.

-Nicholas Paulsmeyer

Crop scouting report unavailable.

Farmers are seeing a lot of phosphorus deficiency in corn this year. This can be caused by a lot of different things, including cold and wet conditions and of course a lack of sufficient levels of P in the soil. Putting phosphorus in furrow and adding phosphorus helping products like Nutri-Charge can help you with this problem.

-Ethan Buskness

Enlist soybeans can show a noticeable response to 2,4-D when applied at high rates. They typically recover within a few days, but the effect can be intensified by the adjuvants and other additives in the tank. If you’re running a hot mix, be prepared to see a stronger crop response.

-Josh Pippin

Herbicide responses in corn can be misleading. When you see a corn response like this photo here, it looks identical to sulfur deficiency. This can be misdiagnosed often, and it’s important to think about when the field was sprayed when scouting your fields.

-Jesse Gagner

We have a number of rain chances in the 10-day forecast and much of the corn crop in the area is off to an excellent start. With the recent damp and humid conditions, a majority of farmers are considering spraying a fungicide on corn. One good option that doesn’t break the bank is Azoxystrobin + Propiconazole. It is rated very good to excellent on 7 of the most popular diseases we see in Southern, MN. These represent 2 modes of action. Of course, with tar spot already confirmed in two states and an elevated risk with the current weather pattern, you may consider investing more in a 3 mode of action product instead.

-Sam Geistfeld

Zidua is a Group 15 residual herbicide that is gaining popularity in the area this year. One reason why is because it’s the longest lasting residual in wet conditions. It’s been used on a large number of corn and soybean acres in the area this season.

-Aaron Erdahl

There is still a short window to find out why there are missing corn plants. Digging down the row on this competitor, the seeds sprouted a root but no hypocotyl reaching up. There may be other reasons to explore as well before these abnormals rot away.

-Adam Gibson

When including a volunteer corn/grass control herbicide in your soybean tank mix, be sure to add crop oil to the mix. The standard crop oil rate is 1 gallon per 100 gallons of water. There are factors that can lead to adjustments of that rate such as Group 15 herbicides. Talk to your agronomist to make sure you have the correct rate for effective control.

-Cody Dobberstein

Why is it so important to spray volunteer corn?

1) Controlling root worms – corn rootworm larvae only need to feed for about 4 weeks before they pupate

2) Volunteer corn that is taller than 6 inches is very hard to control

3) It’s robbing you of potential yield

So, by killing the host early, you will have fewer issues next year.

-Dylan Lunning

As we get into in-season nitrogen application, it would be beneficial to take a soil nitrate test to see where your levels are at before making any applications. Pull the tests today and expect results in just a few days. Then you’re not guessing what rate to use or wasting a single dollar.

-Jeff Gladis

If you’re struggling to kill dandelions and thistles around home, try using Freelexx at 2 to 3 ounces per gallon of water. Freelexx is a 2,4-D choline, which is different than an amine or ester and doesn’t move off-target leading to harm on your flowers or gardens. Be sure to include AMS in your spray solution.

-Jeremy Jensen

As the weeds get bigger and harder to kill, it seems natural to raise the rate in order to kill the weeds. All chemical applicators are required to read the label of the products they are about to spray. When weeds get tough to kill and you don’t get the perfect spray day, some people tend to choose their own rates. Be sure to stay within the label requirements for each product you are applying. When looking at products like Enlist One, the maximum rate in-crop post-emerge rate is 32 ounces per application, and no more than 64 ounces per acre per crop year.

-Dave Timmerman

Some of the sugar beet fields in our area are starting to get close to the 4” gap between the rows. So now is a good time to start finalizing your plan and picking up your fungicide products. Using Precisive for your sticker spreader is a cost-effective option. It is a nonionic surfactant, drift reduction agent and deposition aid all in 1 jug with a low use rate of 3.2 ounces per acre.

-Brandon Howard

Sprayer cleaning is very important. As you switch back and forth between products and crops, make sure that you rinse with water, do a second cleaning with a tank cleaner, and if possible, flush again.

-John Scheibel

Many of the oat fields in the area are at the correct growth stage for a Palisade application. Timing with plant growth regulators is very important. You can apply Palisade from Feekes Growth Stage 4 through Feekes Growth Stage 7.

-Cole Bjugson

If you are having problems controlling lambsquarters with Liberty in your soybean acres, you can add Volta or Treaty (generic Harmony) to most herbicide programs. A low use rate of 1/12th oz per acre will give you good control.

-Kyle Becker

Remember if you are spraying Enlist One mixed with glyphosate, the glyphosate needs to be added to the tank last. Another key is to make sure the Enlist One is completely dispersed in the tank before adding in any glyphosate.

-Matt Nowak

For the most part, I haven’t been seeing a lot of volunteer corn in these soybean fields around here. However, if you must spray a volunteer corn herbicide and you’re using the Enlist One herbicide, I highly recommend doubling the rate, (10-12 oz/acre) of any clethodim type herbicide such as Select Max, Arrow, Clethodim 2E, etc. to get a decent kill. Otherwise, spray your volunteer corn herbicide alone later. There is antagonism between clethodim and Enlist One herbicide.

-Tyler Gasow

As you’re spraying a corn killer with your soybean post-emerge, remember to up your rate in order to combat antagonism. Products like Enlist One and Liberty that you need for broadleaf control make a corn killer like Clethodim less effective when both are in the spray load. Upping your rate of Clethodim from 8 fl oz to 12 fl oz should allow for good volunteer corn control.

-Wyatt Mach

With corn post-emerge wrapping up and potential resprays taking place, please check all herbicide and adjuvant labels. Label restrictions on corn can be based on growth stage or height. V8 or 36-inch corn may look different from field to field. Moving to different herbicides or adjuvants that are APE/NPE free can prevent development issues down the road!

-Cole Marquardt

Always do a great cleanout when switching crops while spraying. Taking your time and doing a good job can save you lots of dollars by not accidentally injuring or killing your other crop. Erase at 2 quarts per100 gallon of rinsate will do a great job.

-Ty Swanson

Common ragweed is showing up in soybeans. Pre-emerge products tend to be weak on common ragweed, so the best course of action would be to hit them with Enlist One and Liberty in Enlist soybeans. For XtendFlex soybeans, use a high rate of Liberty 43 ounces per acre along with 3-4 pounds of AMS per acre and 20 gallons of water per acre.

-Spencer Schultz

Crop scouting report unavailable.

Soybeans and corn have been slow growing. Most fields are going to need another pass before they canopy. Growers are talking about adding in some residual herbicide like Zidua or Outlook with the next pass.

-Matt Elder

Corn is getting to the V2-V4 stage. Where farmers are planning on using the corn for silage, one practice gaining popularity this season is to add gibberellic acid to increase crop height and tonnage. Proliant PGR is the product of choice at 0.5 ounce/acre. This can also be added to pasture ground to improve early growth.

-Brayden Hansen

If you are worried about disease this year with the cool wet weather, applying a fungicide is probably a good idea. Fungicides are good at preventing disease but will not get back any yield that was lost already if disease is present. Spray your fungicide early and go for maximum coverage for the best results.

-Dylan LeBrun

I have seen quite a few nitrate samples with enough nitrogen for this year’s corn crop. If you are going to apply nitrogen now, make sure to test your soil with at least a couple 0–12-inch tests before applying what you may not need.

-Zach Hefty

We are quickly approaching the time to apply Cobra for white mold control. In my opinion, this is the first step to battle back white mold. I prefer to see Cobra applied before flowers are out, which leaves us a week to 10 days.

-Tyler Koenig

“Volunteer Corn is a cosmetic problem.” Unfortunately, many people make this statement without realizing that volunteer corn can host corn rootworm larvae. This picture of volunteer corn roots where rootworm larvae are feeding off the corn roots is a great example. If you don’t control volunteer corn timely, this can allow corn rootworm to carry over to when you rotate back to corn. Volunteer corn also steals ample amounts of water from the intended crop. This is why volunteer corn killer is so important.

-Lauralee Eaton

If your crop has received hail damage in the last few weeks, consider applying ClimateKing. ClimateKing will help your plant handle abiotic stress and could help raise yields in your field as well. ClimateKing at 2 oz would do the trick to help with plant health in these fields that have experienced more than normal stress so far this year.

-Emma McInerney

As temperatures are on the rise near the end of the week and it is dry in our area, one product farmers are adding to tankmixes now is Climate King. It is relatively inexpensive and only requires a small use rate of 2 ounces per acre. It’s job is mitigating weather stress such as heat, drought, or both.

-Mark Swanson

Glufosinate is a contact killer, not systemic like glyphosate. This is important to remember because smaller weeds have fewer growing points. With contact products like glufosinate and the Group 14 PPO products, spray droplets need to hit every growing point or the weed will survive and continue growing from those untouched growing points. Getting after weeds when they are smaller is your best shot at excellent weed control.

-Matthew Petersen

When spraying alfalfa fields, area farmers take the opportunity to accomplish more than one job. As they are spraying insecticide this week, one of the tankmix additions we’re seeing is Boost10, which is an amino acid. Alfalfa is a high protein crop. By adding essential plant-based amino acids, it allows the plants to produce more nutrition and increases your overall tonnage.

-Lane Konrad

As some areas in South Dakota received heavy rainfall recently, some leaching of nutrients could have occurred. A good way to know for sure is to do an in-season soil test. While going over the results, pay close attention to nitrate (NO3-) which is easily leachable after heavy rain, especially if you have sandy soil.

-Carter Hawkins

Due to the cold weather, there has been significantly slower corn development and stunted growth. The cooler soil temperatures are limiting nutrient uptake and root expansion, ultimately resulting in shorter than expected crops.

-Logan Scheel

I recently looked at a winter wheat field that has been affected by wheat curl mites causing wheat streak mosaic. Unfortunately, there’s no effective miticides labeled for controlling wheat curl mites. The best control is rotation and killing off volunteer wheat if you plan on going wheat on wheat. Wait at least 2 weeks after burn down before planting winter wheat back into that field.

-Ryley Curtis

As growers are working on post-emerge spraying this week, we’re seeing most Roundup/glyphosate tankmixes going out with MegaGro in the tank. MegaGro is a patented safener that helps the crop break down glyphosate faster, so there’s less stress. Plus, it encourages better root and plant growth, giving your crop a stronger start and a better shot at bouncing back quickly. MegaGro can be used at 2 ounces an acre in either corn or soybeans.

-Spencer Frost

Crop scouting report unavailable.

A number of farmers have had issues with foam in the sprayer tank this season. We’ve solved this issue for all of these growers by using an antifoam/defoamer product such as Gundown Elite. For keeping foam out of the tank, especially with Roundup and Liberty tankmixes, use Gundown Elite at 2 ounces per 100 gallons of water. For correcting a large accumulation of foam, use 4 ounces per 100 gallons of water.

– Preston Barragan