Category Archives: Pests

National Farm Machinery Show Recap

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Mark Lawson (Indiana)

It’s been a busy two weeks on and off the farm.  Snow came, snow went, and then snow came again.  The National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Kentucky also came and went as it has been doing for 46 years now.  It’s been a tough winter, we are all suffering from a bit of cabin fever, and the NFMS must be a proven cure for that particular ailment – which would account for the record attendance this year. Our Syngenta … Continue reading →

Posted in Agrisure Corn Traits, Agrisure Viptera, Great Lakes, Herbicides, Hybrid selection, Indiana, Infestations, Insects, Kentucky, Pests, Weed Control | View Comments

Supercool Soybean Aphids

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Gary Prescher (Minnesota)

Are soybean aphids keeping you up at night in January? Well, maybe they shouldn’t be. From time to time I remind myself about the benefits of a long, cold winter. Take insects, for example. A good wind chill really slows them down and we seldom have issues with the really nasty bugs found in many tropical winter getaway paradise locations. Teeth-chattering temperatures exterminate many seasonal invaders from the south. Unfortunately, cold weather doesn’t destroy many of the most damaging insects … Continue reading →

Posted in Infestations, Insects, Iowa, Minnesota, Northern Plains, Pests, Profitability, Soybeans | View Comments

The Good, Difficult and Different of 2010

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Mark Lawson (Indiana)

We haven’t seen the ground since December 5th and we’re already into 2011, so now is a good time to reflect on the past year. This is when we take a “good, difficult, different” look at 2010. What was good? In Indiana, we began the year with good soil moisture and an earlier than usual start to planting. Things went downhill from there, but the dry weather did have one benefit – it drove nematodes deep into the soil and … Continue reading →

Posted in Agrisure Viptera, Corn, Great Lakes, Indiana, Infestations, Insects, Pests, Planting, Profitability, Scouting | View Comments

Eastern Harvest Yield Results: Swinging for the Fences

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Dervin Druist (Pennsylvania)

As my favorite baseball team, the Atlanta Braves, faded down the stretch, the bright leaves of autumn started to show. Another growing season has fast come to an end. As I travel around the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, harvest is in full swing. The Delmarva and Virginia areas were hit hard with heat and moisture stress, resulting in lower yields this fall. Irrigated acres lost some of the top-end yield due to the heat stress, and the dryland acres in … Continue reading →

Posted in Disease, East, Harvest, Insects, Multi-Pest Complex, Mycotoxin, New York, Pests, Region, Soybeans, State, Yield | View Comments

Corn Updates from Indiana

Posted on September 13, 2010 by Mark Lawson (Indiana)

I’ve been spending a lot of time in meetings and talking to farmers as well as getting out into plots. I’m finding a late hatch of corn earworm that is doing some damage and helping create some moldy ears. We’ve also determined that spraying doesn’t stop damage from Western bean cutworm. In our trials, we’ve observed that our new Agrisure Viptera™ trait effectively controls Western bean cutworm. It’s obvious this new trait has raised the bar for insect control in … Continue reading →

Posted in Agrisure Corn Traits, Agrisure Viptera, Great Lakes, Harvest, Indiana, Insects, Multi-Pest Complex, Pests, Yield | View Comments

Soybean Aphid Update from Minnesota

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Gary Prescher (Minnesota)

As of August 3, it appears that aphids are making their move across much of the Minnesota area, especially in areas receiving less rainfall over the past 30 days. Winged adult migration is ongoing, so if you treated early be sure to continue scouting because you’re not out of the woods yet. For maximum yield it’s important to monitor fields and protect through the R5 stage. What is R5? Basically it’s when bean plants are done flowering.  See the chart … Continue reading →

Posted in Insects, Minnesota, Northern Plains, Pests, Scouting, Soybeans | View Comments

Aphid Scouting

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Gary Prescher (Minnesota)

It’s time to add soybean aphid scouting to the to-do list. As of July 16, infestation levels have varied across Minnesota from near threshold to almost zero found. In visiting with a crop consultant from Owatonna, Minn. who covers south-central and southeastern Minnesota, he commented on the benefits that he saw from the soybean seed treatments in this year’s crop. He also noted that aphid levels were still low in fields he was scouting. At an Aphid Management System ™ … Continue reading →

Posted in Aphid Management System, Infestations, Minnesota, Pests, Scouting, Soybeans, Upper Midwest | View Comments

Tassel Time

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Rich Lee (Iowa)

If it feels that life is too busy, and you can only find the time to take one really good look at your corn crop between planting and harvest, then make that one time happen at tasseling. Sure, it is probably the most uncomfortable time to be walking around in a corn field. With the summer heat, humidity, corn rash, and bugs crawling into places where bugs should not be, it is no picnic out there. Still, it is one … Continue reading →

Posted in Infestations, Insects, National, Nitrogen Efficiency, Pests, Scouting, Weed Control | View Comments