Black Cutworm and Armyworm Traps Done for the Year
We pulled all the pheromone traps yesterday. Wyoming, Yates and Livingston traps continue to catch significant numbers of black cutworm but most of our corn is now big enough that it is beyond being able to be cut. There are some late planted corn fields and these should continue to be watched. Armyworms have been a no show for two weeks now. We are still finding them in hay fields. Most of our winter grains are drying down quickly and not attractive as a food source. I would scout adjacent corn fields to be sure they are not marching in there looking for greener pastures. Oats are heading out and look great! These would also be very attractive to armyworms.
Winter Wheat Update
Wheat is changing color and turning fast. The warm weather continues to push it forward. I have been able to find some heads with vomitoxin in fields that were not sprayed with a fungicide at flowering and even a little in those that were. It is getting hard to see infected heads now and you will really have to look to find them. The weather during flowering was very conducive for VOM infection and Iām hoping fungicide applications were able to reduce that risk and maintain quality. Some malting barley fields have already been harvested this week as low as 14% moisture. That means some early planted wheat is only 10 days from harvest. Those that start harvesting at 20% moisture should be ready to go July 1. Is your combine ready to go? Are your bins ready for the new crop?
Japanese Beetles have Emerged
I saw the first Japanese beetles in my yard on Saturday feeding on my crab apple tree. It is time and the recent rains will really bring them out of the ground. I have not seen any feeding on soybeans or corn yet, but you should see them soon (when you are out scouting for soybean aphids š). We will have to wait and see what populations look like this year across the region.
Dicamba Deadline Reminders
On February 06, 2024, the U.S. district court in Arizona vacated 2020 registrations of three dicamba containing products (XtendiMax, Engenia and Tavium) for over-the-top (OTT) applications in dicamba-tolerant (Xtend and XtendFlex) soybean. This Sunday, June 30, is the last legal day to apply these three products on dicamba resistant soybeans. This is a true cut-off day for application of these dicamba products and it does not matter when the soybeans were planted. Please read and follow those labels to minimize the risk of spray/vapor drift to sensitive crops. Give special attention to prevailing air temperatures, wind speed at the time of applications, proper nozzle selection, use of drift reducing agent and buffers. The NY registrations for XtendiMax, Engenia and Tavium herbicides are set to expire on July 31, 2024. Unfortunately, there are no CleanSweepNY programs currently scheduled for 2024, so alternative disposal options may need to be found in the future. Please make every effort to use up these dicamba products on the current crop before June 30.
Next report will be July 3.
