Corn Updates
I saw my first chopper chewing up some corn on Tuesday. It is that time. We had a corn silage dry-down day in Yates on Monday and Seneca on Tuesday. Most of the early maturity early planted corn was between 32 and 36% dry matter. Time to get those fields in the bunk. From what I heard from some of the consultants and bigger dairies, most are going to wait and start just after Labor Day. Looks like lots of good forage out there!
Corn is still looking good. The USDA NASS Crop Progress and Condition report for NY on August 25 had 41% of the corn in the dough stage and 13% at dent. The weekly report also has corn conditions stable from last week at 0% very poor, 4% poor, 11% fair, 51% good and 34% excellent.
More Tar Spot this Week
Three more counties were added to the list this week. Allegany, Livingston and Wayne had fields that were positively confirmed. That puts us up to seven counties. Most of these fields were found while looking at corn to determine cutting schedules. It helps that all these fields will probably be chopped in the next 10 days and yield has not been affected. We are more concerned with those fields that are going to grain, and the infected residue will be put back on the ground. This could lead to wider infections next season.
Soybean Updates
This hot weather is pushing the soybeans. I’m glad that most have some moisture still under them but we could still use a little water for the longer season beans to fill out those top pods. There are some really tall plants out there this year! I don’t care for tall beans because they usually yield less than expected. I hope they do not disappoint. I’m starting to see some discoloring spots out in the fields which means white mold is really starting to take hold. There is nothing we can do now except know that there will be inoculum in that field and prepare the next time soybeans are rotated in. It is helpful to try and combine infected fields last so that you are not spreading the reproductive structures to other fields. Make sure to clean out the combine well at the end of the year.
Otherwise, soybeans look good. USDA NASS NY’s report on August 25 shows soybeans setting pods this week were at 69%, up 20% from last year. The weekly report has soybean conditions still improving at 0% very poor, 3% poor, 18% fair, 44% good and 35% excellent.
Since we discovered some Palmer amaranth plants in Ontario and Yates counties last week, I am getting calls from growers on either side of the line suspecting they have found plants too. At this point, if you suspect it is Palmer, pull it out and get it into a garbage bag and dispose of it. They should be producing mature seed soon so keeping that seed out of your field for next year is huge. Please continue to let me or Caroline in the Yates CCE office know if you find Palmer plants.
2024 Cornell Winter Wheat Variety Trial Results
Winter small grains planting is right around the corner. Do you know what varieties you are going to plant? Cornell just released their yield results for this year’s red and white winter wheat small plot variety trials. You can view them all on our NWNY Team webpage: Red Winter Wheat & Soft White Winter Wheat
If you would like to see past trial summaries, go to https://blogs.cornell.edu/varietytrials/small-grains-wheat-oats-barley-triticale/. Let us know if you need a copy mailed to you.
Next report will be September 4.
