Spring has presented many challenges when it comes to crop production. It seems like it rains every other day. Now that a majority of the crop has been planted, we can switch gears and insure nutrient requirements are adequate for maximum yield. One of the biggest challenges that growers face as a result of a wet spring is potential nitrogen loss. Heavy rains have the potential to leach nitrogen deeper into the soil profile and below the plant root zone. Several factors can d

Is the calendar going to begin robbing yield from our crop and money out of your pocket? Historical data suggests that good yields can still be produced when corn is planted in the month of May. Spring 2013 was very similar to this spring, as a wet weather pattern persisted during the months of April and May. In April of 2013 we saw almost 6” of rain and almost 10.5” of precipitation in May. The similarity in weather and soil conditions may be representative of what we will s

Cooler and wetter than normal conditions have brought attention to the possibilities of increased herbicide damage in corn. Much of the corn planted in mid-April has emerged and started the process of metabolizing herbicides. Cool temperatures cause plant metabolism to slow, as well as slow herbicide degradation by the crop. Plant injury can occur when the right conditions exist. Symptoms of injury are highlighted below. Photosynthesis Inhibitors Photosystem II Inhibitors

One of the biggest concerns in agriculture today, revolves around weed resistance to herbicides and how we manage it. Years of repeated use from single site mode of action herbicides has created a barrier that is becoming increasingly harder to overcome. One of the best practices to combat against herbicide resistance is to apply pre-plant, or pre-emergence, herbicides. Spraying herbicides before planting and before crop emergence can help delay weed emergence. Premixed chemi

A large weather system moved across the Corn belt this past week and dumped 3-5” of rain in many areas. Temperatures over the past 3-5 days stayed in the mid 50’s. This stretch of weather could pose potential problems for some of the corn that has already been planted. Illinois sits at 34% planted and 5% emerged, Iowa 8% planted, and Indiana 15% planted and 2% emerged. As the seed sits and waits for warmer temperatures, we should be aware of some of the symptoms that may app