Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), caused by Fusarium virguliforme, is a soybean disease that has grown in importance for farmers over the past 20 years. Today, it is ranked second only to soybean cyst nematode (SCN) as the most detrimental cause of annual damage to soybean yields. As the soybean-growing region has expanded to the North and the West, SDS continues to spread to new fields and to larger areas of fields that have already been infected. The severity of SDS damage varies from area to area and field to field, but yield reductions associated with SDS typically range anywhere from 20 to 70%.

Broad areas of the Corn Belt have experienced one of the most challenging planting season in recent memory. Farmers did what they do best, and bided their time for a planting window. Corn acres from South Dakota to Ohio were planted weeks later than what is typical. And while many farmers are already worn out from the extended planting season, most are more nervous about what’s to come.

The good news is that late planted acres still have great yield potential. If Mother Nature starts cooperating, this season has abundant hope of producing competitive yields.

Most farmers can't remember a planting season that has been any more challenging than 2019.

What exactly does Beck’s Escalate^® yield enhancement system protect your seed against? 

Think of our Escalate system as a toolbox. We don’t necessarily know what the weather will bring each spring, but we know we are equipped with a full toolbox that can help us combat whatever Mother Nature throws our way. 
 

Any disease requires three things to flourish: a viable host, suitable environmental conditions, and the presence of a pathogen. When we attempt to manage a disease, we must manage one of these three factors in order to be successful.

As the rain is delaying planting, many farmers are becoming concerned that their corn maturities are too long. In my opinion (based on facts), here are the Top 10 reasons why you should stick with your original plan.

When a corn kernel is planted into warm, moist soil, water is absorbed through the seed coat and the kernel begins to swell. The critical soil moisture required for corn to germinate is 30%, and a corn seed will absorb 1.5 to 2 times its weight in water during the germination process.

In delayed planting situations, there are some key concepts to consider when deciding to whether or not to continue as planned with corn, move to an earlier maturity hybrid, or switch to soybeans altogether.   

Maximizing soybean yield is a simple concept…grow as many harvestable soybeans per acre as possible. What is not so simple is the complex dance we play with Mother Nature who has great influence over the best management decisions required to obtain maximum yields. For multiple years, Beck’s PFR has promoted increasing returns on investment (ROI) by lowering soybean seeding rates.

Some areas of our marketing footprint have started planting and are slowly progressing while others have not yet started field operations. Here is some information to review as many of you may have questions regarding delayed planting and switching hybrids.