25
May
2018
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.
Categories: N Indiana, Michigan
Tags:
16
With all the rain we have had in our area and more in the forecast, I have received several questions about whether or not there is a need to switch to planting an earlier maturity corn hybrid. Eric Wilson, Beck’s field agronomist in northern Iowa, and I have put together the following information to help you decide if you need to make a change.
27
Feb
2017
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.
Categories: Agronomy, N Indiana
Tags: planting, Agronomy, Denny Cobb, indiana agronomy, AgChat, plant17, planting checklist, planter recommendations, seed size, Vacuum Planters
8
Apr
2016
Have you received unusual or uncommon seed sizes this year? If so, I have included some initial planter setting suggestions based on various planters, seed sizes and weights.
Categories: Agronomy, N Indiana, Michigan
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, michigan agronomy, indiana agronomy, Denny Cobb Agronomy, Uncommon seed sizes, planter settings, Case IH, Vaccum Planters, John Deer, Kinzie, AGCO White Planter
17
Aug
2015
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.
10
This week, central Indiana sales intern Christy Kettler provides an update on crop condition and insect pressure she has been seeing while scouting area fields.
Tags: AgTalk, Agronomy Update, Denny Cobb, michigan agronomy, indiana agronomy, Christy Kettler, Japanese beetles, NCLB, corn tip loss
3
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.
Tags: Beck's Hybrids, corn, soybeans, intern, Beck's, Agronomy Update, Denny Cobb, agronomist, Christy Kettler, Northern corn leaf blight, Central Indiana, Sales Intern
Jul
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.
Tags: Beck's Hybrids, Indiana, Beck's, Denny Cobb, Christy Kettler, Japanese beetles, UAV, drone, UAVs, NCLB
20
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.
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Corn Disease, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, michigan agronomy, indiana agronomy, Denny Cobb Agronomy, European corn borer, Soybean tissue sampling, Japanese beetles
13
Following a month of rain, cloudy days, and moderate temperatures, disease continues to be a threat this growing season. With spores set up for perfect growing conditions, pressures from northern corn leaf blight (NCLB) and gray leaf spot (GLS) are leaving farmers with cause for concern.
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, michigan agronomy, indiana agronomy, Denny Cobb Agronomy, European corn borer, Gray leaf spot, Northern corn leaf blight
7
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.
1
The long awaited European Corn Borers have started hatching and feeding on corn plants. See Christy's scouting notes below for more information on what we are seeing with the Corn Borers throughout central Indiana and what to expect in the coming weeks.
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, michigan agronomy, indiana agronomy, Denny Cobb Agronomy, European corn borer
22
Jun
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.
Tags: Beck's Hybrids, corn, Indiana, Agronomy, Beck's, Denny Cobb, Scouting, Christy Kettler, stink bug, crop damage, corn damage, yellow corn leaves
15
The extensive rain we have experienced throughout central Indiana has had significant impact on our crops. Below you will find sales intern Christy Kettler's scouting report for the week of June 8 which touches on what we are seeing in our fields as a result of the wet conditions, as well as the trap findings and what you can expect in the coming weeks.
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Black Cutworm, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, indiana agronomy, Indiana corn, Christy Kettler, Denny Cobb Agronomy, European corn borer
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.
Tags: Beck's Blog, AgTalk, Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Rapid Growth Syndrome, agronomist, Beck's Agronomist, indiana agronomy, Denny Cobb Agronomy, Micronutrient Uptake Struggles for Indiana Corn
Smaller sized seed corn will be the norm for 2015. As you know, this is a result of an excellent growing season which had very few stressors during the pollination and grain fill periods. Overall, smaller size seed corn poses fewer planting challenges than heavier, larger sized seed. Here are a few pointers for planting small size corn seed.
Tags: Beck's Blog, Beck's Hybrids, AgTalk, corn seed, soybean seed, Agronomy, Beck's Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Denny Cobb, Small corn, large soybeans, 2015 Planting Season
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.
Tags: Beck's Blog, corn planting, Agronomy, Beck's Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Denny Cobb, Missouri Agronomist, Missouri Agronomy, Beck's Agronomist, Spring Ammonia Applications
Mar
Premiums for Identity Preserved (IP), non-GMO corn are significant. However, these premiums can easily be reduced or lost when purity standards are not met. GMO pollen drift/contamination is the major contributor to non-GMO premium loss. Let’s review some “pollen” facts...
Tags: Agronomy, Agronomy Update, Denny Cobb, agronomist
30
2014
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.
Tags: Beck's, Agronomy Update, Denny Cobb, Herbicide, Suspected Herbicide Injury
19
Corn Stand Establishment This past week drenched our region with 4 to 6 inches of rain, followed by cool if not cold temperatures. Corn that has germinated and/or emerged (young plants) should be okay. Soybean Stand Establishment Some of the same corn comments hold true for soybeans. About 30% of our area got their soybeans planted last week. Very few fields have emerged. Stand Evaluations By all means, when conditions and fields become fit and suitable for planting, plant the “unplanted” acres first! This will give any “challenged", earlier planted fields time to hopefully recover so a proper assessment can be made. Corn Insects --- Black Cutworm, Slugs, and Armyworm --- Purple Corn
Tags: Beck's, Agronomy Update, Denny Cobb, Corn and Soybean Establishment, Identifying Corn Insects, Stand Evaluations