Well, the first day of summer was officially June 20 this year and it arrived with authority! The last couple of days have been brutally hot but I have seen a lot of corn and soybeans still going in the ground. Good week for forages too as dry hay and second cut haylage are getting put up. Temperatures look more typical for us (hovering around 80) the rest of the week and into next week. Perfect growing conditions moving forward!
Corn and Soybean Update
Corn has really come on strong this week. That dark green color is starting to show in the early planted fields. Some of the bigger corn I saw this week was V6 to V7. This is a crucial stage as side dressing nitrogen has started and will soon be the top priority for corn producers. Once corn reaches V6, cutworms are not a concern anymore since they are too thick to cut. We still have lots of smaller corn and many acres are just emerging that still will be at risk from cutworms, armyworms and slugs.
Soybeans have been slow to develop and are still not looking great. Most fields that I looked at were V2 (two fully emerged trifoliates). Some of the earlier planted plants that made it through the seedcorn maggot and slug onslaught are a little further ahead. I am still getting calls on slug issues and if we should still treat with a slug bait. This heat might have slowed them down but they love warm humid nights. My recommendation is to keep after them if the beans are still small or it is a recent replant situation.
Winter Wheat Update
The wheat continues to mature and look good. Unfortunately, I have seen some wheat start to go down with the strong wind and rain that has recently gone through. We had Wheat Pete speak on this topic at Soybean & Small Grains Congress back in February. Here are the top 7 things that Peter talked about that you need to focus on to prevent lodging.
- Pick a variety that has a low lodging potential.
- Earlier planting dates result in taller plants.
- Do not apply too much nitrogen. Find your sweet spot.
- Utilize a growth regulator application.
- Split nitrogen applications can help manage lodging
- The higher the seeding rate, the higher the lodging risk.
- Manage diseases which rob photosynthesis with fungicides.
Wheat heads are changing color fast, so it is now hard to pick up the Fusarium infected kernels. The first malting barley is being harvested this week which usually means the first wheat will be ready in two weeks. I still expect that most of the wheat will be ready to harvest between July 15 to 20. It might not be the year to try and double crop soybeans.
Armyworm Update
We kept a couple of armyworms traps out there because of increased catches last week. Well, they caught even more this week (34 in Ontario County and 41 in Yates). WNY Crop Management Association also had a trap in Wyoming County (Perry) that caught 44. These are the highest counts all year. Our winter grains will be safe from this most recent flight but I would be concerned with the all the late planted corn particularly if it was no tilled into a field that has anything green and growing in it. We will keep trapping and watching for injury in corn, mixed alfalfa fields and grass hay fields.
Next report will be July 2.
Assisting Mike Stanyard and Jodi Letham is Field Support Staff – David Bechtel
