Fungicide

Soybean farmers have benefited from decades of checkoff-funded research that’s pushed yields, and now a program is taking those efforts to the next level.

Warm, dry weather is helping farmers in northern Illinois to quickly harvest corn and soybeans with little need to run the crops through a dryer prior to storage.

First Mid Ag Services’ 28th annual yield survey estimates McLean County corn to average 227.12 bushels per acre, 14.76 bushels above the five-year average.

AgriGold agronomist Ron Roling knows a thing or two about corn rootworm. He’s from eastern Iowa, the self-proclaimed corn rootworm capital of the world.

In between fungicide and insecticide applications and replacing a hot water heater at the Humane Society, Aaron Rients and other volunteers are getting ready for the 76th annual Central States Threshermen’s Reunion.

Wheat is strategically planted on the Rahn farm to provide opportunities for manure applications and tiling projects.

A new Land Use Change Initiative is leading efforts to resolve inconsistencies in definitions, metrics and methodologies for quantifying land use change.

As summer presses onward, From the Fields contributor Mark Seib continues balancing farm and family life.

Berkeley Boehne harvested an excellent wheat crop in July and his corn and soybean crops also look good at the start of August.

Summer is in full swing on Clay Geyer’s home fields, where he’s on the lookout for — and has already found — some plant diseases and weeds.

Bayer Crop Science researchers have been able to artificially inoculate tar spot in field test plots, a key step in helping to gain a deeper understanding of how to manage the disease.

Back-to-back storms delivered just enough rain to delay a second herbicide application, but plenty of other projects remain on Aaron Rients’ to-do list.

Soybeans face many challenges during the growing season that can impact yield potential. Crops undergo a series of vegetative and reproductive growth stages, each with unique developmental processes and stressors.

Soybeans face many challenges during the growing season that can impact yield potential.

With planting and harvest completed on his farm for now, Eric Miller has plenty to do as the middle of summer arrives.

The emergence of corn tassels is a pivotal moment in the life cycle of a corn plant.

In the showdown between ground and aerial fungicide applications, planes and drones had a slight edge over ground equipment, according to research from Beck’s Hybrids.

Understanding the factors contributing to fungal infections and implementing effective management practices are crucial for safeguarding your harvest.

Understanding the factors contributing to fungal infections and implementing effective management practices are crucial for safeguarding your harvest.

We just started to spray with the corn at V5, V6. It’s 65, 70 degrees now and calm. So, it’s a good day for application. We hope to get that done in three days.

During the first two weeks of June, the Rahn family is going in many different directions, including making hay and spraying a second pass of herbicides to control weeds in their crop fields.

Snowfall and rain showers during the past month have improved the soil moisture conditions for Rahn family farm in northern Illinois.

Stabilized enzyme technology is ready for its debut in sidedress fertilizer applications in 2024.

The top west-central Illinois Yield Chasers were honored during a special event hosted by DEKALB and Asgrow. This marked the second year of the corn and soybean yield contests for the 19-county region.

A proposal that has the potential to impact most future pesticide applications is in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency draft stage. EPA’s proposal aims at protecting federal endangered species against potential impacts of herbicide applications.

Winter is a good time to lay the groundwork for a successful growing season. Making a plan to manage pests and disease pressure can help farmers be more prepared when problems arise.

Pests and diseases are a given each growing season, but the degree of the pressure can vary drastically. After harvest, growers should be planning for the best course of action to deal with pests and disease pressure.

Experience, attitude, communication and organizational skills can provide a foundation for farmland owners and farmers when making the move to organic crop production.

With the growing season shifting from June to July, the severe drought began to break apart in some areas of Illinois that then brought on other challenges.

The drought that impacted much of Illinois was a primary concern in the first half of the 2023 growing season. Stephanie Porter and Kelsey Litchfield of the Illinois Soybean Association peeled away the layers of this past crop season in a recent podcast.

Earlier planted soybeans have become the norm as agronomists and academia tout the practice’s benefit in optimizing growth and ultimately yields.

How can every harvest be so similar and yet completely different? The goal is always the same — get everything through the combine and into bins, and yet there are so many circumstances that come into play.

As farmers push to finish the 2023 harvest, David Cosgray, DEKALB technical agronomist in central Indiana, shared an update with AgriNews.

It’s just about guaranteed crops will experience stress at some point in the growing season — and this year was no exception.

The annual yield survey by First Mid Ag Services estimates McLean County corn to average 223.69 bushels per acre. The yield estimate is based on 1,620 samples from 162 locations.

Agronomists covering a broad area of the Corn Belt gave their insights on crop conditions, nitrogen applications and other topics recently at Beck’s Central Illinois Field Show.

Tar spot was an unknown corn disease in the “I” states less than a decade ago, but no longer. A severely infected field can reach yield losses upwards of 60 bushels per acre.

The Highland Community College Agriculture Department invites the public to the 2023 Agriculture Research Day.

It’s hard to believe we are already at the end of August. We have finished sweet corn sales for 2023. This is a family project, and I believe almost all of us are OK that the time has come to wrap up.

For Eric Brammeier, who farms and owns a crop insurance business, August is about waiting for harvest — and harvest prices to be set.

Washington County got hit by a mini-derecho. We had severe winds, like 100 mph winds in some places. It laid some corn flat and destroyed some buildings. Some people were out of power for days.

It’s been steady-as-it-goes at Smolkovich farms and the brothers are using the downtime to clean and check the combine in preparation for harvest.

We are finishing our last fungicide and herbicide applications. We have had a few weeds push through our early herbicide application, so we have been forced to make another pass to clean some weeds up.

Soil tilth building practices should be considered offensive management tools. “Cover crops have been pushed as defensive tools against erosion, water quality problems or impeding regulations,” said Mitchell Hora.

Chris Gould harvested record wheat yields from his farm in July. “The wheat produced 115 bushels per acre,” said Gould, who together with his wife, Dana, grow corn, soybeans and wheat on their Kane County farm.

At this stage of the season, it’s a good time to scout fields for compromised plants that can reveal any early season stressors that may have stymied ear development and, ultimately, yield potential.

With 2023 planting complete, growers are turning their attention to managing their in-season inputs, and one of the key decisions remaining this year is whether or not to use a fungicide.

After working eight- to 10-hour shifts at their full-time jobs, the Smolkovich brothers converged to do chores at their cattle operation Monday evening.

Fungicide applications are a preventative measure that need to occur before a plant has significant infection. “We can see when weeds germinate or bugs come in, but for diseases you can’t see it until it is entrenched,” said Gery Welker.

Don’t give up on the 2023 corn and soybean crop. That is the message that David Cosgray, DEKALB Asgrow technical agronomist for central Indiana, has for growers.