We have much fewer acres of grain sorghum planted in Tennessee this year, and I’ve spent a lot less time blogging or answering questions about sugarcane aphid. That has not stopped this pest from being present in most sorghum fields. Please refer to my many previous articles about managing this pest during the last two years … just search for sugarcane aphid in the search bar. There are a couple of things you need to be aware of before making an insecticide application (see below). Continue reading
Recent Updates
Bean Leaf Beetles in Soybean … And More
I’ve had several calls from the Mississippi River Bottoms and the southern counties of West Tennessee about high numbers of bean leaf beetles, sometimes as many as 200-400 per 100 sweeps. Bean leaf beetle feed primarily on foliage in the upper part of the canopy. They occasionally will feed on pods, although this occurs rarely and is hard to predict. Continue reading
Crop Progress – Tennessee and U.S.
CROPS, CATTLE IN GOOD CONDITION
Both widespread along with some isolated showers brought much-needed moisture to much of the state, improving most row crop and cattle conditions. The moisture is helping with soybean development. In most areas, producers were making second cutting of hay, while in others producers were supplementing pasture with hay. Corn is drying down in some areas and growers are readying to start harvest. Continue reading Tennessee NASS report at TN_08_08_16. The U.S. Crop Progress report can be read at CropProg-08-08-2016.
Tennessee Market Highlights
Cotton was up; corn and soybeans were down; and wheat was mixed for the week. This week we saw locations in Tennessee with cash corn prices under three dollars for the first time since harvest 2014. Unfortunately, we will likely see more locations with sub-three dollar cash prices as we enter harvest. Now is a good time for producers to review their storage options, before harvest gets in full swing. First, evaluate on-farm storage capacity and crop mix. Determine the number of bushels of storage available on-farm and prioritize which crops will be stored on-farm if production is expected to exceed storage capacity. Continue reading at Tennessee Market Highlights.
UT Commodity Market Update 8/4/2016
Corn: So far this week, September corn futures have traded lower by $0.11. Corn futures have traded lower for the past 15 trading days. Weather forecasts for the Midwest are indicating higher temperatures with adequate rain. The rainfall could offset any potential damage caused by the increase in temperatures. Private estimates of the national corn yield are ranging between 169 to 175 bushels per acre. Continue reading
Cotton – fall armyworm, bollworm, and plant bugs
Many fields are now well at or past cutout (< NAWF5), and some folks have made or are planning on their last insecticide spray. I wrote last week on the topic of terminating insecticide applications, for plant bugs in particular. Below are a few other points for consideration. Continue reading
Soybean Disease Update
Many soybean fields are in reproductive growth stages and need to be scouted for disease to decide if a fungicide is needed. Some diseases that have been observed in fields in Tennessee include frogeye leaf spot, septoria brown spot, and downy mildew. Continue reading
Some Soybean Insect Pests – Identification and Management
Although insect pests don’t require treatment on all soybean acres, there are some common pests we need to scout and manage for on a routine basis. The most serious pests typically infest soybean after pods have begun to develop, and in many cases, the threat of insect infestations are worse in later maturing fields. However, soybeans should be scouted weekly for the presence of insect pests until full seed (R6) plus another 10 days. Continue reading