Agronomic Update – 7/26/10          

DSM COMMENTS:
NORTHERN IL:  Kevin Sanderson (Creston, IL – DeKalb Co.)  This is just an amazing crop year...in northern Illinois we are 90 percent brown silk...the season is just too late for GLS to become a serious problem...very little fungicide application...Ear worm on the other hand could create ear damage both in the near term and at harvest...ear worm larva are beginning to show up on sweet corn...corn and beans very green and healthy...to date no problems exist...we could stand a good inch of rain for grain fill...to date just an exceptional spring and summer!

CENTRAL IL:  Dale Luster (Downs, IL – McLean Co.)   Looked at Stone 6T672VT3 today, it looked great but we saw a large amount of earworm feeding.  When I explained Genuity Smart Stax products control them, the grower definitely wanted some.  Most corn here in McLean, Tazwell and Livingston Counties look good.  The beans look much better now also, despite rain damage, ponds and yellow spots.  We have been dry most of the month with no rain!  Very good Stone Seed Group Rollout Meetings, watch out the STONE TRAIN is heading your way, better jump on!

EAST CENTRAL IL:  Tucker Beckmier (Atwood, IL – Douglas Co.)  The weather in east central Illinois this week has certainly been a challenge.  Rainfall amounts range from 6 inches at Sullivan to less than 2 at Atwood 20 miles straight north.  Some buildings, homes and fields saw wind damage in the hardest hit areas.  On a brighter note, pollination is mostly complete and looks very promising in most areas.  Leaf disease in corn appears to be minimal and an early harvest will be welcome this fall.

SOUTHWEST CENTRAL IL:  Dave Dimmick (Murrayville, IL – Morgan Co.)   Life in the Illinois swamp continues to be replenished with additional rain.  We needed the first inch back on Sunday and Monday but the other 4 to 5 inches could have avoided us.  We also experienced some jittery wind conditions that did snap off some corn in various places.  The early planted corn is well on its way to maturity, some with a nitrogen deficiency.  We still have later planted corn struggling to make a crop.  Soybean growth stages are all across the board but most canopies have filled while others are working on it...  Root worm beetles (western and southern) are present in many corn fields.  Low pops of Jap beetle in both crops.  I have not found any Soybean aphids to date.   Slight presence of septoria or bacterial blight which is normal to find on lower canopied soybean leaves this time of year.  

A few words from our Stone Seed Group Agronomists,

Greg Wolf, Geneseo, IL Now we are entering into the summer stress time of the haves and have nots(who has had rain and who hasn’t), and with the high heat and humidity, and corresponding rapid corn development we are beginning to see the effects of dry conditions on the crop. 

 Insect pressure has been relatively light in northern Illinois, but we continue to monitor for corn earworms and western bean cutworms in corn, and aphids in beans.

Much of the scouting has been done to determine whether to spray for gray leaf spot and rust; the next phase of disease scouting in corn will be sorting out leaf diseases such as northern leaf blight and Goss’ wilt for proper identification. 

Jeff Brown, Sidell, IL. Effect of Wet Weather Conditions on Corn Standability explores how excessive soil moisture can limit corn root development, preventing the plants to properly anchor in the soil.  Under moist conditions, brace root formation may not come quick enough to support the top growth of corn leading to root lodging.  In addition, the excessive moisture conditions can cause incomplete brace root development that leads to plant lodging. Read more about this by clicking this link.

Corn Earworm moths (CEW) moving into Illinois. 

The maps shown indicate potential Corn Earworm moth flights in Illinois.  HIGH RISKS continue on Day 1 across the southwestern Corn Belt from northern Kansas and southern Nebraska into Iowa, northern Missouri, and western Illinois, with another HIGH RISK on Day 4 essentially across the same area but also further east into Illinois. 

Moderate risks are in place for areas south of US 20.  Moth flights remain focused especially to the south of US 20.  Farmers south of US 20 and along and south of I-80 need to be on guard and prepared for new moth flights this week.  Just because an area is in a Moderate vs. High Risk does not mean it will not see flights as well.

Go to www.insectforecast.com – for current full maps and details.

Check for Corn Earworm Larvae (CEW) by pulling back the husk to look for larvae at the ear tip on 10 consecutive plants.  CEW larvae are light green to dark brown, usually have an orange head capsule, and 3 to 4 stripes across their body length. While the YieldGard® family of traits (VT3) has assisted in providing control for many major corn insects, CEW is only suppressed by these products. The introduction of Genuity® corn traits now offers advanced above-ground insect protection that can improve grain quality and increase yield potential. Genuity® VT Double PRO™, Genuity® VT Triple PRO™, and Genuity® SmartStax™ corn provide dual modes of action against lepidopteron species such as CEW.

Keep in mind that Losing just three kernels per ear of corn can equal one bushel per acre lost

The following links are Agronomic Spotlights that focus on Soybeans.  There are several different components that directly impact soybean yield at particular growth stages.  Two Spotlights discusses these components at flowering and seed development stages of growth.  Click on the following links to learn more:
          Yield Components of Soybean during Flowering

          Yield Components of Soybean during Seed Development

Illinois Crop Progress Percents as of July 19, 2010

1/ Less than one percent.

Field Focus Contributors:
Dave Love, CCA                    (M)217-652-9534
Greg Wolf , CCA                   (M)309-314-5001
Jeff Brown, CCA                    (M)217-714-6006

Agronomic Update – 7/13/10

DSM COMMENTS:
NORTHERN IL:  Kevin Sanderson (Creston, IL – DeKalb Co.)  In northern Illinois 90 percent of the corn has pollinated and the crop looks as good as any in the last few years.  We have been receiving just about an inch of rain a week for the last month, no insects and only slight evidence of GLS.  This crop is extremely early for northern Illinois. Beans are really taking off with about 60 percent of rowed beans closed, many flowers present and again no insects to speak of.  Potentially crops may be as good as we have ever had!

CENTRAL IL:  Nicole Forsberg (Clinton, IL-Dewitt Co.)  Upon returning from a vacation out West and traveling through all of Nebraska and Iowa I would have to say the fields in my sales territory look great in comparison! DeWitt County is progressing well with tasseling nearly complete.  The planes are buzzing overhead applying fungicide and insecticide where disease and Japanese Beetles have caused damage.  Woodford County continues to look very well and could use a shower in a few areas.  Tazewell County continues to show the results of uneven emergence with many fields still looking like ocean waves.  Soybeans are beginning to canopy and need to be closely monitored for beetles as well.

SOUTH CENTRAL IL:  Jay Ryan (Pana, IL – Christian Co.)  We have a wide variety of crop conditions throughout my region, this goes for both planting date as well as ratings. Nitrogen deficiency is the growing concern in much of my area. Prolonged saturated soils are contributing to a substantial amount of nitrogen loss. Fall applied anhydrous, 28%, and ammonium sulfate programs seem to be taking the biggest hit. Even though the spring applied anhydrous as well as side dress look better there are still signs of deficiency. The big question is will we run out prior to kernel fill. Soybeans look pretty good as a whole. Here again quite a range in growth stages as the last planted are just emerging. All in all a pretty good crop though.

SOUTHWEST CENTRAL IL:  Dave Dimmick (Murrayville, IL – Morgan Co.)   Pollination is progressing well on the early planted corn.  Replant corn has another 30 days or more to finish the process.  Heat units continue to crank.  Jap beetle pops seem to have dropped off and low numbers of corn rootworm beetles observed.  Many soybean fields have been sprayed and relieved of weed pressure.  The later planted beans are developing well.  This last week we received anywhere from 5/10” to 1” of rain in several small rain events.  No major wind which we all hope remains the norm.  We hope to see corn maturing in mid Sept. with much dryer harvest moistures at least in the earlier planted crops.  2010 has been a mixed bag for us but over all we remain optimistic for a profitable year.  It’s been difficult to play the catch up game with Mother Nature but I think we gained some points the past two weeks. 

A few words from our Stone Seed Group Agronomists,

Greg Wolf, Geneseo, IL

 Gray Leaf Spot and Common Rust are continuing their march up Illinois; now they are breaking out to various degrees along the I-80 corridor.  Corn rootworm beetles and Japanese Beetles are low in number except for some isolated spots.  Miscellaneous corn issues such as nitrogen problems, nematodes, and greensnap are evident throughout the region.

As sweet corn comes out of the field, evidence of earworm injury ranges from light to moderate.  We’ll keep an eye out for evidence of differences between Smart Stax and other traits. 

Bean progress in the region ranges from emergence to pod set.  Scouting begins for Frog Eye and Anthracnose, along with checking for evidence of Cyst Nematodes. 

Sunny skies and plenty of moisture should make for ideal pollinating conditions as the crop progress rapidly moves along.

Dave Love, Petersburg, IL  The planes are flying here at home 6-7 days a week.  GLS and rust are showing up above the ear leaf in areas and mainly in some competitor’s varieties.  You may see disease in one spot worth spraying and go 3 miles down the road in the same variety and see fairly clean corn.  The main lesson here is to keep scouting.  Beans are looking good depending on planting date and herbicide use.

Jeff Brown, Sidell, IL.

The planes have been busy this week across Illinois spraying fungicides on corn.  Our first “Agronomic Alert” this week focuses on Gray Leaf Spot and Common Rust, the two most widely seen diseases thus far in corn this year.  Environmental conditions have been favorable for infection of both diseases.  When scouting corn, check the entire plant for leaf disease as Common Rust will attack the younger or higher corn leaves while Gray Leaf Spot is initially found more on the lower or older leaves.  Take a moment to read over this “Alert” and spend some time to check your fields for pressure. Contact your Stone Seed Group DSM for more information and assistance.  Click this link to read more:  Agronomic Alert – Gray Leaf Spot in Corn

Moth flight captures in parts of Indiana and Illinois have been impressive this year already for Corn Earworm and Western Bean Cutworm.  Has anyone found worms feeding on their sweet corn already this year?  This agronomist has and if they are in sweet corn, they will be in our commercial corn fields as well.  Most of these are Corn Earworm which migrate into our area each year by wind currents.  Western Bean Cutworm does overwinter in Illinois and is becoming more of a threat each year.  For each 3 kernels fed on, figure on 1 bushel lost.  Damage from these pests is usually hidden.  Only one technology provides trait protection against both insects.  Genuity® SmartStax™, Genuity® VT Double Pro™ and Genuity® VT Triple Pro™. 

Click these links to find out more about identification, life cycles and management:
Agronomic Spotlight – Corn Earworm

Agronomic Spotlight – Western Bean Cutworm

Finally, a dry period has hit most of our area.  But wait, I can’t be seeing drought stricken corn already…or can it be?  The answer is a resounding “YES”, we can be seeing corn that is showing signs of drought stress.  Remember all of the compaction seen this spring from harvest last year, spring tillage, torrential rains, etc… This has had an impact on root development in areas of many fields.  Shallow root development can lead to drought stress earlier than corn roots at a normal depth.  Click this link to learn more: Agronomic Spotlight - Drought Stress in Shallow Rooted Corn

Illinois Crop Progress Percents as of July 12, 2010

1/ Less than one percent.

Field Focus Contributors:
Dave Love, CCA                    (M)217-652-9534
Greg Wolf , CCA                   (M)309-314-5001
Jeff Brown, CCA                    (M)217-714-6006

Agronomic Update – 7/01/10          

DSM COMMENTS:
SOUTH CENTRAL IL:  Aaron Miller (Brownstown, IL – Fayette Co.) My area received any where from an inch to 6.5 inches on Sunday evening.  Most growers had a couple of days of planting before the big rain hit.  There were reports of water just below the tassels on some corn in the Vandalia bottom.  Most growers in my area are done or just need a couple of days of good running to finish up.  Most of the growers I am talking to are not going to hesitate on planting the rest of beans they were planning on planting.  The majority of the corn is tasseled out and shedding pollen.  I have seen some rust and grey leaf spot, but nothing close enough to justify spraying fungicide.  The forecast looks good for this area over the next week, most guys will be able to get in the field by this weekend. Hopefully if the weather cooperates, this area will be finished up by the middle of next week!

SOUTHWEST CENTRAL IL:  Dave Dimmick (Murrayville, IL – Morgan Co.)  Last Sunday was our last rain.  This is some kind of rain free record for us.  Much late bean planting and spraying of soybeans has taken place. (around wet holes but doing the best we can). Early corn is pollinating and we have had some flying on fungicides but it could be N, roundup, soybean seed. Still finding evidence of rust and GLS in younger and later planted corn. Jap beetles have increased somewhat in numbers. Ear size is encouraging on the early pollinated corn.  I think we are getting this planting season wrapped. Enjoy the 4th by remembering our freedoms we take for granted.

NORTHERN IL:  Tony Strom (Victoria, IL – Knox Co.) Fields drying up in Knox ,Warren and Stark county with soybean planting finishing up in the wet areas. Corn planted in Early April is beginning to pollinate. Japanese beetles are abundant and with corn starting to silk need to be monitored closely.  With the current rainfall and temps there is a lot of GLS showing up. Overall crops look good in the dryer areas and following soybean stubble.

A few words from our Stone Seed Group Agronomists,

Jeff Brown, Sidell, IL. Last week’s Insect Quiz:  No one answered the correct insect name and it’s no wonder, this is a critter we don’t see in row-crop production.  Aaron Miller of Brownstown, IL came closest with his guess “Looks like a baby off of the movie Tremors”.  The insect is called a Soldier Fly Larvae.  The fact that these were wriggling all over the ground recently in a soybean field in Shelby County suggest this soil had been saturated for a very long time…an environment these insects thrive on. 

Do I Try to Spray or Not for White Mold Control?  If you work through the following checklist, it will help you decide:

TAMMY’s 2 Sense - Tammy Smith, Customer Service Rep - Geneseo Location – Summer is here!  The old saying “rain makes grain”,  I don’t know about you but I have had enough of the rain and have been enjoying the beautiful sunshine and cooler temps this past week. With that we also have our friendly, or NOT so friendly PESTS to contend with, in our crops as well as in our homes, yards and gardens. That being said I thought it would be appropriate to contribute the bleow article I searched and found on the Medline Plus web-site.  Hope you all had a SAFE AND ENJOYABLE 4th of July Holiday.

Pesticide Safety Tips
Resources

• Questions On Pesticides?
  National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC)  1-800-858-7378
  

Although pesticides can be useful, they also can be dangerous if used carelessly or not are stored properly. Here are some tips for safer pest control:

• The most effective way to reduce risks posed by pesticides is to use non-chemical control methods to reduce or eliminate pest problems. Around the home, such measures include removing sources of food and water (such as leaky pipes) and destroying pest shelters and breeding sites (such as litter and plant debris).
• If you decide you must use pesticides, always read the label first and follow the directions to the letter, including all precautions and restrictions.
• Don't use products for pests that are not indicated on the label and don't use more pesticide than directed by the label. Don't think that twice the amount will do twice the job.
• Use protective measures when handling pesticides as directed by the label, such as wearing impermeable gloves, long pants, and long-sleeve shirts. Change clothes and wash your hands immediately after applying pesticides.
• Before applying a pesticide (indoors or outdoors), remove children, their toys, and pets from the area and keep them away until the pesticide has dried or as recommended by the label.
• Don't spray outdoors on windy or rainy days. Take precautions to keep the pesticide from drifting or running off into the vegetable garden, pool, or neighbor's yard.
• Remove or cover food during indoor applications.
• If using a commercial applicator or lawn care service, ask for information about potential risks and safety precautions to take.
• Don't buy more pesticides than you will need. If you have leftover pesticides, check with your local government to determine whether your community has a household hazardous waste collection program or other program for disposing of pesticides. If no community program exists, follow label directions and any state or local regulations regarding disposal.
• Keep the telephone number of your area Poison Control Center near your telephone: 1-800-222-1222.

Here are some tips to follow if you have children or if children visit your house or yard:

• Always store pesticides away from children's reach, in a locked cabinet or garden shed. Child-proof safety latches also may be installed on cabinets and can be purchased at local hardware stores and other retail outlets.
• Never transfer pesticides to other containers that children may associate with food or drink.
• Never place rodent or insect baits where small children can get to them.
• Teach children that "pesticides are poisons" - something they should not touch.
• Alert others to the potential hazard of pesticides, especially care givers and grandparents.

IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY, try to determine what the person was exposed to and what part of the body was affected before you take action, since taking the right action is as important as taking immediate action. If the person is unconscious having trouble breathing, or having convulsions, give needed first aid immediately. Call 911.or your local emergency service. If the person does not have these symptoms, contact your local Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222. Have the product container with you when you call for assistance - remember to act fast!

General First -Aid Guidelines:

• Swallowed poison. Induce vomiting. ONLY if the emergency personnel on the phone tell you to do so. This will depend on what the child has swallowed; some petroleum products or caustic poisons will cause more damage if the victim is made to vomit.
• Poison in eye. Eye damage can occur, within minutes with some types of pesticide. If poison splashes into an eye, hold the eyelid open and wash quickly and gently with clean, running water from the tap or a gentle stream from a hose for at least 15 minutes. Do not use eye drops or place chemicals or drugs in the wash water.
• Poison on skin. If pesticide splashes on the skin, drench area with water and remove contaminated clothing. Wash skin and hair thoroughly with soap and water. Later, discard contaminated clothing or thoroughly wash it separately from other laundry.

Inhaled poison. Carry or drag victim to fresh air immediately. If you are able to get to the victim because of fumes, immediately contact the Fire Department. Loosen victim's tight clothing. If the victim is blue or has stopped breathing, give artificial respiration (if you know how) and call rescue service for help. Open doors and windows so no one else will be poisoned by fumes.

Illinois Crop Progress Percents as of June 28, 2010

1/ Less than one percent.

Field Focus Contributors:
Dave Love, CCA                    (M)217-652-9534
Greg Wolf , CCA                   (M)309-314-5001
Jeff Brown, CCA                    (M)217-714-6006