Category Archives: Corn

Changing Seasons, Changing Times

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Mark Lawson (Indiana)

Falling temperatures and falling leaves, it’s not hard to figure out how this season came to be known as “fall”. Turning back clocks and getting some field work done. We don’t see much fall plowing anymore but we do see spray rigs and fertilizer trucks in the fields. Fall weed control programs are now a part of the cropping system. It used to be plow, disc, plant, cultivate, harvest and fall tillage if you had heavy black ground. It was … Continue reading →

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Good Ear, Bad Ear – Part 2

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Rich Lee (Iowa)

Once again, here are the same two ears from my last posting. Both ears came from the same field. So why did the ear on the right not fill out as well as the one on the left? The simple answer is compaction, but that simple answer is only where the story begins. As with most field problems, there will usually be more than one thing at the cause. In this case the compacted part of the field caught a … Continue reading →

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Good Corn, Bad Corn. That Tale of the Tip

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Rich Lee (Iowa)

Harvest is an excellent time to look at your ears, your corn ears that is. Bits and pieces of the entire growing season can be seen on the ears that are now heavy in the husk and waiting for harvest. One of the easiest stories to read is the stress that came during grain fill. Below are two ears from different hybrids from the same field. The ear on the left is a “good” ear for a flex type hybrid. … Continue reading →

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Do Your Ears Hang Low?

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Barry Soliday (Illinois)

Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you get them off the ground? Can you make out the row? Yep, it has been one of those years for many of us. If you think you are alone harvesting down corn, let me assure you that you are not. The real question is how did we get here? Well, it all started this spring… We started off the season with a very wet spring. Some of … Continue reading →

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The Early Bird Catches the Worm When it Comes to Mycotoxin-management

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Kenneth Teeter (North Carolina)

Or maybe it’s better put to say that being the early bird results in less mycotoxins, as worms are only part of the equation in this story, but I’ll get to that in a minute. To be the “early bird”, in this case, really just takes early planning! Growers who plan in advance can apply Afla-Guard® biocontrol agent to corn between V10/V12 and R1 and significantly reduce aflatoxin levels.  A benign, non-toxigenic strain of Aspergillus flavus, Afla-Guard works by establishing … Continue reading →

Posted in Afla-Guard, Aflatoxin, Agrisure Viptera, Corn, Mycotoxin, Profitability, Syngenta | View Comments

Storm Damaged Crops in the Northeast

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Dervin Druist (Pennsylvania)

Another year of extremes! We started the growing season in the Northeast with a very wet month of May, followed by a hot and dry summer. As we move into early September, we are getting more than enough rain. Over the past few weeks, we have had heavy rainfall in many parts of the Northeast, and it looks like it will continue. The weather forecast for central Pennsylvania is calling for 7-10 inches of rainfall this week. Many of you … Continue reading →

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Crop Stress Continues to Mount… “Every Drop Counts”

Posted on September 1, 2011 by Gary Prescher (Minnesota)

Sometimes getting caught up in growing degree units (GDUs) can be too much of a good thing. In spite of the cooler temperatures, crop stress continues to mount for corn and soybeans. Heat stress created pollination and kernel tip back issues in corn and limited pod set for soybeans in July, but water is the name of the game during grain fill in August. The impact is a little different for each crop. Drought stress during R3-R5 in corn limits … Continue reading →

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When is it Time to Say “Enough is Enough”?

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Josh Erwin (Nebraska)

I just got back from shutting off my east pivot, one of two that we operate on our family farm. It has definitely been a drier summer here in northeast Nebraska, thus the pivots have had a higher-than-normal workout. For those of you with all the rain, you could send a little my way every once in a while! As I was driving home I was thinking to myself, “I wonder how many more passes I am going to need … Continue reading →

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A Developing Drought in Southern Minnesota?

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Gary Prescher (Minnesota)

Precipitation for the month of July shows a developing dry pattern across southern Minnesota. Early July Areas colored yellow and orange on the map missed critical rainfall during early July and have the potential to be the most affected by heat stress during pollination and early grain fill. Compacted fields, corn on corn rotations, and coarser soils are currently suffering the most potential yield loss from dry top soil conditions. Keep in mind: Ear size is adjusted through R3. Lower … Continue reading →

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Watch Out Wisconsin and Beyond! – Western Bean Cutworm

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Rich Lee (Iowa)

The following is an update from Mike Weiss, Agronomic Service Representative, Wisconsin: We are just past the peak flight period for Western bean cutworm in central and northern Wisconsin and it’s important for growers to keep an eye out for this pest.  The scouting procedure is to count the egg masses or small caterpillars on 20 consecutive plants in five random locations in each field. If 5 percent of the plants are infested, an insecticide application is recommended. Western bean … Continue reading →

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