Corn harvest will hit full swing over the next two weeks, however a short list of growers actually got started during the last week in July. Comments about what has been harvested range from ‘decent-I was pleasantly surprised’ to ‘terrible-this is my worst year ever’ with yields from around 30 bushels per acre up to close to 290 (very early March planted irrigated). Continue reading
Dry weather has not been conducive to foliar diseases in soybean this season. While some diseases picked up some momentum under irrigation or in areas that finally received rains in July, levels range from nonexistent to moderate around the state. Asian soybean rust has been identified primarily in the gulf area with the latest find in southeastern AR (Desha county) across the river from Greenville, MS. Continue reading
Although not currently threatening major production areas in Tennessee, both the kudzu bug and brown marmorated stink bug continue to expand their territory. Continue reading
Plant bug, stink bugs, spider mites and a few bollworms and spider mites continue in many areas. Plant bug pressure has been particularly intense in some areas. Several folks have commented that they have not seen this kind of pressure before. Some are balking at making 2-3 consecutive applications Continue reading
As reported by NASS on July 30, 2012
HAY HARVEST A MAIN FARM ACTIVITY LAST WEEK. Tennessee farmers last week devoted a great deal of time to harvesting warm season grasses for hay. July rainfall sparked unusually good growth, allowing warm season grasses to flourish. With the exception of corn, crops improved slightly in condition and are rated in mostly fair-to-good condition. Soybeans are blooming, and cotton is setting fruit. Pastures are greening-up and range from fair to good. Tobacco topping is in progress. The corn crop was rated mostly in very poor to poor condition with some very early harvest in the Southern section of Middle Tennessee. Continue reading
Corn prices are mixed while soybeans, cotton and wheat prices are down for the week. The September U.S. Dollar Index before the close was 82.77 down 0.80 for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average before the close was 13,102, up 279 points since last Friday. Crude Oil before the close was 90.12 a barrel, down 1.71 a barrel for the week. Continue reading
Problems with soybean insect pests still remain widely scattered. However, there are some signs of things to come. Continue reading
As reported by NASS on July 23, 2012
WARM WEATHER AND MODERATE RAINS AID GROWTH. High temperatures and moderate rains stimulated crop growth last week. Crops continued to develop at a faster rate than usual. All crops remained in fair-to-good condition, with the exception of corn. Pastures were rated in poor-to-fair condition, but have improved Continue reading