Wednesday, June 30, 2021

AGRONOMY WEEKLY NEWS
This new weekly e-newsletter will be delivered to your inbox every Wednesday afternoon. It will focus on local agronomy news in and around our Wanstead branch locations. Information you'll receive comes from our Wanstead crop sales advisors.

Thanks for signing up!

Trust the company you own.
Wheat
Harvest is truly right around the corner! We are expecting to see some wheat early next week as it turns and dries down quickly. The wheat that looks most advanced seems to be in areas where early rains were spotty, as well as in fields with certain varieties. Overall, the crop is looking good. The only concern at this point is the significant quantity of lodged (laying down) wheat. Farmers will have to keep a close eye for sprouts in the lodged wheat, especially the wheat that is touching the ground. Fusarium has not been an issue so far which is a really positive sign. At this point, the large majority of wheat is drying down and finished filling which means that the rain over the last few days is not doing the wheat any favors in that regard.
Soybeans
So far so good on the soybeans crop! It would be nice if we were able to get out and spray the fields, however moisture and wind are really slowing this process, causing timing to be slightly askew. Ideally, spraying would be done before the crop flowers, but weather does not always support this timeframe. Right now, we are working hard (when the conditions are fit) to get lots of herbicide and soybooster applied to help the crop along. Some advanced fields are now starting to flower which can be largely attributed to the heat.
Corn
The corn crop is progressing rapidly. The crop overall is looking very good, with some slight differences in development and health based on how much rain the field received. As we are now completed spraying 28%, the only remaining applications for corn would be fungicide spraying at tassel, and/or over the top nitrogen applied with Y drops which would happen in a few weeks. There have been a small amount of weed escapes due to the dry weather, which seems to be the only issue with the crop so far.
What are our agronomists up to?
The agronomy team is scouting fields for a variety of different reasons, and they would encourage you to do the same and check on your fields.

On soybeans, they are looking primarily for any evidence of aphids (see picture). Aphids are small bugs that reside on the underside of soybean leaves and suck the nutrients out of the plant. Outbreaks of these pests usually happen in dry conditions, so hopefully we are out of the woods now, however, they are keeping their eyes peeled.

In corn, they are primarily assessing fields for even growth, and doing some nitrogen testing to see if any top-ups are required on the corn plants.

In wheat, their primary focus is looking at lodged wheat concerns and keeping an eye for the possibility of sprouts in the laying wheat.

Please feel free to reach out to your agronomist for advice, or if you would like their help in addressing any concerns (whether they are listed above or not) that you may have about your crop.

Bradey: 519-312-7767
Jason: 519-330-9746
Darrin: 519-330-9812