ABG Ag Services | Crop Conditions

Crop conditions have improved due to moderate temperatures and dry conditions. Overall crop development is about two weeks behind normal. Corn is in the V-6 to V-11 stage. We have some 82 day sweet corn that was planted on April 15 that has been tasseling for about 5 days. Overall corn condition is variable with some good corn and some poor corn. Drainage is the factor that seems to be impacting corn growth. Most plants have poorly developed roots.

Last week corn was rolling due to drought stress. It is hard to imagine that there was not enough moisture in the soil since we received 11 inches of rain in June. Soybeans are in the V-3 -V-7 stage. The V-7 soybeans are just starting to flower. Wheat harvest has not yet begun due to the green stems.

I would predict that wheat harvest will begin by next week. Overall wheat condition is excellent.

Weeds

Most corn and soybean fields have received a post application. There has been many delayed applications due to the wet conditions. Most preemergent herbicides have worked extremely well due to the wet conditions. Where there was water sitting in fields the weed populations are reduced.

Disease

The primary disease that we are seeing on corn is anthracnose and some early signs of gray leaf spot. The temperatures and moisture that we receive in the next 3 weeks will have a major impact on disease development.

Insects

I saw my first Japanese beetle yesterday. They are about 3 weeks behind normal. I have yet to see an adult western or northern rootworm beetle. This morning we dug some corn roots in our trap crop and observed some rootworm larva feeding on roots. We have noticed some bean leaf beetle feeding on soybean.

That is it for the week. Have a good fourth of July.

Fritz Koppatschek
ABG AG Services