The continued rains have kept farmers out of the fields for most of the month of May. With some dry stretches in the forecast, many will be returning to the field soon to continue (or begin) planting. Here are a few things to keep in mind when planting late.

Low commodity prices have drastically reduced margins this year and the best way to make a profit will be to utilize all of your tools to their fullest potential. That means making sure your planter is ready for the field before its time to plant.

In Christy’s final scouting report for the summer, she discusses the Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) she has been seeing throughout soybean fields in central Indiana. We were pleased to have Christy as our sales intern this summer and hope you have found her scouting reports informative. We wish her the best as she heads back to Purdue University for fall classes. 

This week, central Indiana sales intern Christy Kettler covers the insect and disease presence she has been seeing while scouting area fields. If you have any questions on these findings or want to learn more, please contact your local seed advisor or dealer.

With the next round of treatments for soybeans happening soon, tissue samples are critical to ensure the plant is getting what it needs and confirming that we are applying nutrients that will benefit the crop. This week, sales intern Christy Kettler takes us through some best practices when it comes to tissue testing and some updates on the corn diseases she has been seeing throughout central Indiana.

After a very wet start to the growing season, diseases are beginning to show in corn fields throughout the state. Check out Christy's notes below on what you can expect to find in the coming weeks.

In her fourth week of scouting central Indiana fields, sales intern Christy Kettler has been noticing some additional stressors to corn plants currently in the V5 growth stage. See her report below to learn more about the stink bug damage and yellow leaves she has been seeing, as well as her trap findings and what you can expect in the coming weeks. 

This summer Christy Kettler, a junior at Purdue University majoring in Agronomy, will be interning here at Beck’s. Working with myself and our area sales team, Christy will be completing intensive crop scouting on 8,500 acres in central Indiana. In addition to scouting diseases, she will also be using pheromone traps to monitor insect moth activity within this area during the entire summer. With this information we hope to provide you with details of how many insects are in the area, when we can expect these moths to lay eggs, and the insect larvae to hatch.  

As Christy continues to monitor moth captures, diseases and insects throughout the summer, we will send out detailed reports to keep you aware of these findings on both corn and soybeans. If you have any questions about these findings or would like more information, please reach out to myself or your seed advisor for more information.

Last fall was not very conducive for applying ammonia (NH₃), which brings us to our current situation concerning spring applications. Couple that with wet soils, cooler daytime temperatures this week, and the need to begin corn planting, there are areas of concern! Here are my recommendations regarding spring applications of NH₃.

Below you will find links to the University of Wisconsin's Herbicide Mode of Action Key for Injury Symptoms. This key is designed to help you determine which herbicides may be responsible for suspected herbicide injury.