Mother nature is showing farmers who is boss this season, while also showing some favoritism towards certain parts of the state. As the growing season is moving right along for Iowa, some regions are having better luck this year than others. Southeast Iowa has started off slow in terms of hydration for their crops but has gotten lucky with recent rainfalls. But how long will that last and is hot damp weather really the best thing in terms of pests and diseases?
Iowa State Extension Field Agronomist for Region 9, Virgil Schmitt talks about their luck so far this season and how the crops are looking good. He mentions how the heat has hardly taken a toll on the crops, because there is enough moisture in the soil. He talks about how they really dodged a bullet when it came to losses, and the overall growing season thus far.
Southeast Iowa got off to a rough start this season with behind normal precipitation. So much so, that it started to become a concern for some farmers around the region. Schmitt says the rains two weekends ago gave the crops and soils a good portion of water. He talks about more rain moving in, in the next few weeks, but like before the rain has still been more variable throughout the region instead of widespread.
There are a few things that farmers need to be looking at this season. Schmitt talks about an issue found only in corn that is starting to pop up around the region. He mentions that now is the time where stalk borers are starting to move from the grass to the edges of fields. He talks about how stink bugs are starting to decimate farmers corn around the region, and how to watch for and treat them. He mentions the high potential for tar spots in the state and that some farmers are starting to worry about their fields being affected. He also notes for farmers to not spray blindly, and make sure there is something to kill before killing it.
As Southeast Iowa is transitioning into hot and wet weather, the conditions are perfect for a few diseases to start making their appearances in corn and soybeans. Schmitt says that farmers need to look for gray leaf spot in corn, even though there is a little way to go before it usually starts showing up, the weather conditions might accelerate it. He mentions frogeye leaf spot is something else you need to look for on your soybeans, as weather conditions currently are perfect for this disease.
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