Stalk quality can be negatively affected by three factors: disease, nutrient deficiency, and environment. Fungal diseases like fusarium, anthracnose, and gibberella stalk rot cause decay of the internal pith tissues of the stalk. Nitrogen deficiency can lead to the ear cannibalizing the stalk to feed itself. Extended straight line winds in excess of 60 mph can cause any hybrid to lodge; especially those fields that have experienced stress from the other two factors. Harvest prioritization will be especially important this fall.

As harvest progresses, you will see yield variabilities that are unparalleled. For many farmers, this will be a first time experience! You will see hybrids and varieties respond with wide yield swings. Just about any stress you can think of has shown up in our region this growing season. Rainfall intensity and frequent occurrences, planting delays, nitrogen losses, and compaction are the big four. Any one, or a combination of these, will hinder product performance this year.

As harvest begins, it’s extremely important to review and execute your soil sampling and analysis plan. Due to potential sampling and lab screening delays, don’t wait until all your fields are harvested to initiate this process. Be sure to ask for soil test analysis including the basics plus CEC, base saturations and micronutrients. In 2015, spring soil and tissue samples collected during the growing season continue to indicate common nutrient deficiencies that are not being addressed in many fertility plans. Many farmers who have their pH, phosphorus, and potassium at optimum soil test levels may be ignoring important yield-limiting nutrients.

This early fall period gives farmers the opportunity to implement management practices that will benefit them during the 2016 crop season and beyond. Our agronomic area experienced extraordinary rainfall events this past season. The intensive rain events of 2015 have created surface compaction as well as stagnant soils with limited amounts of oxygen and micro life. Cover crops are an excellent means to help cure these issues.

It has been a challenging growing season and although you might feel like giving up, don’t! Here are few scouting tips that could add a few bushels to this year’s crop.

As Indiana corn continues to grow, scouting efforts have become more difficult. With some fields averaging over 8 feet tall, patterns are impossible to see from inside the field, which in turn makes diagnosing a field much more difficult. UAV's have proven to be a useful scouting tool in our research this summer, allowing agronomists to see the field from a broad perspective without getting into an airplane or helicopter.

Spring was challenging for many farmers due to inconsistent weather patterns, fluctuating temperatures and heavy precipitation. In most cases, stand reductions in corn and soybeans were a result of this. Some corn experienced an imbibitional chilling effect and/or corkscrewed mesocotyls. Replant was necessary where very heavy rainfall occurred shortly after planting and prior to crop emergence. Most of the agronomic challenges experienced were related to cool and/or wet conditions. In some areas, stand challenges were magnified by timing of a herbicide application and specific herbicide chemistry, especially in soybeans. In corn, interveinal leaf striping and rapid growth syndrome were both found near V3-V6. Again, both of these can be related to environmental conditions and typically improve with favorable conditions.

This is when many of you will likely be making in-crop, post emergence herbicide applications to both corn and soybeans. All post applications should reinforce your earlier herbicide applications. Careful attention and decision making should include: crop growth stage, weed height, environmental conditions, and tank mix additives. If you carefully manage these four key factors, you will not only achieve greater crop safety, but also enhanced herbicide effectiveness.