Prior to Roundup Ready, you could always tell the farms where the kids weren’t required to work. The soybean fields on those farms were weedy.
This year, despite all our herbicide tools, there would be plenty of work if kids were so inclined. Volunteer corn is a big problem in both corn and soybean, but there’s also a salad bowl of broadleaf weeds and grasses. I stopped in at the University of Illinois weed science field day yesterday to learn that this problem extends across most of the Midwest. OhioState and Purdue weed scientists in attendance were telling the same tale.
University of Illinois weed scientist Aaron Hager says this year should deliver a wake up call to farmers who didn’t utilize residuals in their weed control programs. Frequent rains have delayed postemergence sprays and as a result, weeds have gotten a good foothold in both corn and soybean fields.
Listen in as Hager describes what’s happening and what can still be done.
Dave Chatterton with Strategic Farm Marketing says funds have sold and liquidated hard the last three weeks in the corn market and while they took their foot off the gas on Monday he doesn’t think the selling is done.
Uniform emergence laid the foundation, but corn is now determining key yield components. Missy Bauer explains why stress management and nitrogen status matter at this stage.
As corn starts moving into the rapid growth stages, Farm Journal Field Agronomist Missy Bauer says now is the time for disciplined N assessments and applications — not reactionary rate cuts.
