Most of the management of a corn crop is completed during the first half of the growing season. Establishing a consistent stand, managing weeds, and applying nitrogen and other nutrients are all tasks completed before tassel. We might apply a fungicide, insecticide, or foliar nutrition as needed after tassel, but unless irrigation is an option, August and September are usually spent preparing for harvest and praying for optimal weather – warm days, cool nights, and ideal rainfall.

Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® studies have consistently proven the value of making foliar fungicide applications to soybeans at the R3 growth stage. I am often asked if there is value in adding an insecticide to this treatment. Many of the the late-season soybean pests we deal with are very good at hiding in the dense canopies of soybean fields, which makes it difficult for us to be aware of their presence until after they have caused yield loss.

Helping farmers succeed. At our core, that’s what Beck’s is all about. But, in the grand scheme of things, we want to help everyone succeed — whether they’re farmers or not. It’s in our values to be a support system, to offer a helping hand to those in need.

As we approach the middle of summer, we hope your alfalfa and forage crops are off to a great start. Here are some management tips for the rest of the season. We’ve also included fall seedings information, alfalfa research from Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® program, and details on Beck’s BIO-XTRA™ inoculants.

“The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.” (Psalm 145:17-18) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

Across the Cornbelt, with very few exceptions, water availability to the growing crop is a daily topic of conversation, consideration, or concern. Too much, too little, too late, and on occasion, there has even been concern of too dry to plant. We manage water with ditches, tile, subsurface drains, pipes, pumps, and supplemental irrigation water – the most common being an overhead, center pivot irrigation. And as goes water availability, so goes root growth and, in general, nutrient availability, especially nitrogen and sulfur. To a grower with sandy or coarse soils, the ability to irrigate is the ability to raise a profitable crop.

Practical Farm Research (PFR)® has become the go-to resource for farmers to gain information on new products and practices, and 2022 marks the third season of studies designed to test in-season management decisions to aid in profitability. These studies focus on real-world situations that we all encounter in the field and decisions we are forced to make to maintain profitability. In last month’s issue of CropTalk, we higlighted management strategies for early in the season. This month, we expand on that theme by highlighting studies and data for the rest of the season!

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. (I Corinthians 3:6-7)

This should come as a surprise to no one, but the herbicides glyphosate and glufosinate are in limited supply and have received price increases for 2022. The purpose of this article is to help you navigate this volatile market while still controlling troublesome weeds in your soybean fields. The focus will be on controlling pigweed species (waterhemp and Palmer amaranth), but the information is applicable to most of our weed spectrum.

Grain sorghum, or milo, is thought to be a secondary row crop in many regions of the Beck’s marketing area. It is a warm-season grass with a high level of heat and drought tolerance compared to other major row crops. In many areas of the US, grain sorghum is an ideal crop for the marginally productive, dryland acre, but an adequate pH is necessary as it is sensitive to a pH below 6.0. Grain sorghum can also be utilized in a crop rotation system, especially if root-knot nematodes (RKN) are present, as it is not a host for RKN.