As we approach the historical last effective bloom dates later this month, I thought it might be appropriate to look at Tennessee’s 2026, relative to the past ten years. In this blog, I briefly cover our season and make some comments on what to expect in the coming weeks.
I’ve been receiving more calls about whiteflies over the past week. Fortunately, many of the fields are not at economically damaging levels. However, if large amounts of honeydew are accumulating and/or leaves are beginning to yellow, those fields deserve closer attention.
The whiteflies we are dealing with in Tennessee are bandedwinged whiteflies, not silverleaf whiteflies. Bandedwinged whiteflies do not transmit any viruses of economic concern in cotton. Drought-stressed cotton is at the greatest risk of injury, and insecticide applications may be warranted if whitefly populations are increasing plant stress—similar to how we approach aphid infestations. Continue reading
| Location | CEW | TBW |
| Hardeman (Bolivar) | 0 | 0 |
| Fayette (Whiteville) | 0 | 0 |
| Fayette (Somerville) | 0 | 0 |
| Shelby (Millington) | 0 | 0 |
| Tipton (Covington) | 0 | 0 |
| Tipton (North) | 0 | 0 |
| Lauderdale (Golddust) | 7 | 1 |
| Haywood(West) | 47 | 2 |
| Haywood (Brownsville) | 16 | 7 |
| Madison (WTREC) | 37 | 0 |
| Madison (North) | 0 | 0 |
| Crockett (Alamo) | 0 | 0 |
| Crockett (Friendship) | 7 | 2 |
| Dyer (King Rd) | 6 | 0 |
| Dyer (Dyersburg) | 39 | 0 |
| Lake (Ridgely) | 26 | 0 |
| Gibson (Trenton) | 0 | 0 |
| Gibson (Milan Rec) | 0 | 0 |
| Carroll (Coleman Farm) | 16 | 0 |
As the earliest planted soybeans in Tennessee push into beginning seed development and beyond, there are some soybean diseases that are becoming more notable. The good growing conditions most have experienced promote good yields and diseases – correctly identifying these diseases are crucial to implementing the best management practices to protect yield. Continue reading
Questions continue on what to do with late season pigweed breaking through the crop canopy. Most questions have been in cotton where escaped pigweed are more visible. More questions recently have been in soybean as escapes are poking up through the canopy (picture 1). Continue reading
Reports of fall armyworms are emerging from Arkansas this week. While populations remain low, larvae have been found in rice and soybean fields with significant grass weed infestations. To date, no armyworms have been reported in Tennessee, but late July is historically when populations begin to appear. Continue reading
UT’s ‘Top Bean’ Contest, sponsored by TN Soybean Promotion Board
Our contest has been growing each year, with over 50 entries submitted last year. This is a great opportunity for producers to show off some of their high yielding fields while giving us an idea of their practices used to achieve them.
Growers are encouraged to work with their local county Extension agent to enter their best irrigated and dryland fields and compete for ‘Top Bean’ in the state. Tennessee is divided into five yield districts for the contest. District winners will receive awards and all district winners will compete for state winner in irrigated and dryland production.
Producers (farm entity) are allowed to submit in two categories; one irrigated submission and one non-irrigated submission. As so, a producer may only submit one entry per category. Producers may submit in two districts if they submit an irrigated from one district and a non-irrigated from a different district.
Agents with access to a weigh wagon can use their wagon to weigh contest harvest, and document weight on a new UT weight certification form. Producers and agents without access to a calibrated weigh wagon should continue to weigh harvested seed at a nearby certified scale and include a copy of the weigh ticket to certify weight.
An entry form acknowledging your intent on entering must be submitted by September 1st. Please get with your local County Extension Office for more details and to submit your forms.
All the rules and information on how this contest is ran are attached below.
Use these forms at harvest to submit a completed entry. Due December 8th, 2026
Soybean Yield Contest Harvest forms
All forms and additional information can be found at your local Extension office or email rblair2@utk.edu
UT’s Soybean Scout Schools will be held in July (see details below). These field-side programs cover the basics of soybean growth, scouting, pest identification, and general management. Pesticide recertification and CCA CEU points will be available. Scout Schools are offered free of charge with sponsorship from the Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board. Registration is not required. Participants will receive a scouting notebook and a sweep net while supplies last.
