New York Corn and Soybean Yield Estimates
USDA-NASS has released the September crop production forecast for the Northeast.
Corn for grain
Corn silage is starting to roll and some early-day grain corn has hit black layer. New York corn grain production is forecast at 95.7 million bushels, up slightly from 2023. Based on conditions as of September 1, yields are forecast to average 168.0 bushels per acre, up 3 bushels per acre from last month. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 570 thousand acres, down 30 thousand from 2023. USDA has the US corn crop at 183.6 bushels per acre.
Soybean
Early group soybeans started to come off over the weekend across the region. This stretch of weather has been perfect to get these beans dried down and harvested. I’m hearing of some fantastic yields on these early beans. NY soybean production is forecast at 19.3 million bushels, up 10 percent from 2023. Based on September 1 conditions, yield is forecast to average 53.0 bushels per acre, up 3 bushels from last month. Soybean harvest is forecast at 360 thousand acres, up 25 thousand from last year. USDA has the US soybean crop at 53.2 bushels per acre.
Grain Bin Cleaning
Soybeans are already being combined so it’s definitely time to focus on getting the grain bins ready for the new crop. Inspection is the key first step in preventing pest infestations. Take a tour around the outside of the bin. Check for loose bolts and cracks around the base. Look for signs of rodents and woodchuck holes under the bin. Make sure there are no old bird nests in the vents and nearby augers. Get inside that bin and inspect for possible openings (light coming in where it shouldn’t). Are there areas where moldy grain is stuck to the side of the bin? Go inside your empty bin after a rainstorm. Is there any water on the bin floor from a leaky vent? Are there any low spots in the floor where a support has fallen?
After inspecting the structure, sanitation is crucial! Eliminate any weeds growing within 30 feet of the bin. Insects can feed on weed seeds too! Clean up any spilled grain around the bin, fan, and augers. This provides a refuge for insects that can eventually move into a clean bin. Clean up all remaining grain on the floor of the bin. Take a long-handled broom and remove any grain stuck to the walls, around the door, supports, and in the fan opening. If there are a lot of fines remaining on the floor, clean up with a shop vacuum. Many fines accumulate in the space below the floor. Removing the floor and cleaning these out is not something you want to do every year! If you are continually having insect problems, seriously think about it.
We are very limited when it comes to empty bin insecticide treatments. Tempo SC Ultra is one of the few labeled options right now. Spray the floor and walls inside the bin to the point of runoff. Spray some through the fan under the false floor of drying bins and around the outside base of the bin.
Burndown Herbicide Options for No-Till Wheat
Some early wheat is going in right now but we have a long way to go. I have been asked about the best options for marestail control in no-till wheat. Mark Loux from Ohio State has put some good summary articles together so I’ll just summarize some of his thoughts, https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2020-30/burndown-herbicides-no-till-wheat.
Options: Glyphosate, Sharpen, Gramoxone and Dicamba. Glufosinate (Liberty) and 2, 4-D are not labeled for wheat at planting
- Combination of glyphosate and Sharpen probably provides the best efficacy on marestail.
- Sharpen can be applied preplant/preemergence. Applying 2 oz improves length of residual.
- Dicamba has preplant restrictions of 10 days between application and planting for every .25 lb ai/A used. (ie. 20 days for .5 lb ai/A).
- Gramoxone will effectively control small marestail seedlings.
- Use the recommended adjuvants (ie. MSO with Sharpen).
- Increase gpa of water to 15 – 20 with Sharpen and Gramoxone to improve coverage.
Wheat Seeding Population Quick Chart
I wrote last week about winter wheat planting populations. I know some wheat is already in the ground. Here is a handy chart from Dennis Pennington from Michigan State with the math already done for you based on seed size and desired population.
More Tar Spot Sites Confirmed
Three more counties have come up positive for tar spot in the last week. Genesee and Ontario were in sweet corn and Yates was in field corn. There have also been numerous new fields identified from eastern Erie County across Wyoming and into Livingston. It is establishing in fields that had it last year but also blowing into new fields for the first time. My bet is that we will fill in all the counties in WNY before corn harvest is over. This is to be expected as we continue to get more inoculum overwintering each year. Fortunately for us it has not come early enough to cause us any yield issues, at least this year. Please keep reporting so we can get a handle on its spread and where to focus scouting next year.
This will be the final Crop Alert this season.
