Most farmers are aware of the "Time of Day Effect" when it comes to applying Liberty^® herbicide on LibertyLink^® soybeans.

When scouting fields over the last few weeks I have seen a number of weeds popping up in corn and soybean fields across Beck's southern marketing area. 
 

I feel like this year has been a big set up. We had excellent planting conditions in late March and early April, and we were able to get a lot of crops planted. Then Mother Nature took a turn for the worst, and the following three weeks were cold, wet, and cloudy. Much of our corn struggled to emerge and lacked the early season vigor I would typically like to see. However, we were only accumulating five to ten growing degree units (GDUs) per day, so it was somewhat expected. Seed treated with Beck’s Escalate^™ yield enhancement system really had an advantage this year! Now that the weather has warmed up and we’ve started seeing the sun again, the corn that wasn’t underwater for too long is starting to look much better. Most of my service calls recently have been in regards to soybeans, or really the lack thereof. Even though each field has the potential to be completely different, I have started to notice a pattern. There have been two major culprits of soybean loss this year: PPO or Group 14 herbicides (especially in soybeans that were treated with ILeVo^®) and slugs.

Back in March, a majority of my territory experienced a freeze event. And while our wheat grew out of it and was looking very healthy, we are now seeing some damage.   

 

Much of the wheat throughout my territory is now between Feekes 10 (head in boot) and Feekes 10.1 (grain head visible). This means that within the next two weeks, it will be time to start making fungicide applications to protect our wheat against Fusarium head blight (head scab).

If you haven’t already started planting, I’m sure you will be soon. Let’s quickly discuss the unseasonably warm temperatures we had this winter and why it has me concerned for this growing season. We rely on sub-freezing temperatures to eliminate many disease pathogens and insects that overwinter in our fields

We are at the start of another challenging year with low commodity prices and shrinking margins. To succeed in a down market, we have to set ourselves up for success from the start. The best way to do that is to utilize all of your tools to their fullest potential. That means making sure your planter is ready for the field before it’s time to plant. Accuracy of plant spacing, seed depth, and seed-to-soil contact are the keys to achieving a picket fence stand and maximizing a crop’s yield potential. Below is a list of things to check before you pull out of the shop.
 

Cover crop acres have been steadily on the rise for the last few years. According to a recent survey by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Department, farmers in the U.S. increased their cover crop acres by 147 percent from 2014 to 2016. But, this rapid adoption did not come without growing pains. Many farmers have struggled with terminating their cover crops on time and, in many cases, the cover crop persisted into the growing season and actually became detrimental to yield. 

Cover crop acres have been steadily on the rise for the last few years. According to a recent survey by the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Department, farmers in the U.S. increased their cover crop acres by 147 percent from 2014 to 2016. But, this rapid adoption did not arise without growing pains. Many farmers have struggled with terminating their cover crops on time and, in many cases, the cover crop persisted into the growing season and actually became detrimental to yield. How and when you should kill your cover crop will be dependent on the cash crop you’re planting as well as the species and growth stage of your cover crop.

Many farmers are using cereal crops (cereal rye, wheat, etc.) as a part of their mixture because of their relatively low cost and ability to produce biomass above and below ground. Soybeans have a greater ability to overcome cereal competition early in the year so termination can be delayed up to 7 to 14 days after planting. Corn lacks the early season “grit” that soybeans have and thus, the cereal cover should be terminated at least 14 days ahead of planting. University of Tennessee Weed Scientists Dr. Garret Montgomery and Dr. Larry Steckel have seen a negative impact on corn stands and early season vigor when a standalone cereal cover crop was used. However, when a legume (vetch) was introduced to the mix, a significant difference in vigor was seen (Figure 1).
 

Even though wheat acres are down quite a bit this year, I’ve seen a lot of drills running through fields over the past month. I’ve also heard the old adage, “dust it in, bust the bin” more times than I can count. While it was ok at first, it’s now starting to worry me. 

Cover crops offer a variety of benefits from reducing erosion to adding nutrients to your soil. When I start a conversation with a farmer about cover crops, my first question is always, “what are your goals for the cover crop?” Cover crops are used for many different reasons so it’s important to know why you need them before you plant. A pre-determined goal will help you decide which cover crop or cover crop mixture you should plant on your farm.