cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

2020 Insect Numbers Low in Many Areas of the State

  • October 1, 2020

  • Kelly Estes

Despite the chaos that 2020 has brought us, the Illinois statewide corn and soybean insect survey was completed this past summer. With the goal of estimating densities of common insect pests in corn and soybean cropping systems throughout the 9 crop reporting districts in Illinois, this is the 9th year the survey has been done (2011, 2013-2020).
 
Like previous years, 4-5 counties are surveyed in each crop reporting district, with 5 corn and 5 soybean fields sampled in each county.…

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Is Fall a Good Time to Apply Nitrogen?

  • September 30, 2020

  • Emerson Nafziger

Applying anhydrous ammonia in the fall to provide N to the corn crop the following year has a long history in Illinois and in other parts of the Corn Belt where rotation, tillage, and manure management practices allow it.  Fall application means getting a major field operation done when soil conditions are generally more favorable than they are in the spring, and it helps to spread the work load across more months. Historically, the cost of ammonia has also been lower in the fall than in the following spring,…

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Midwestern Hemp Database: A New Tool for Hemp Growers

  • September 11, 2020

  • Phillip Alberti

A “new” crop to Midwestern agriculture, best management practices (BMPs) and varietal performance of industrial hemp have yet to be determined. Hemp producers are required to grow hemp that contains less than 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to comply with state and federal regulations. Failing to do so will result in crop destruction and potentially significant financial losses. There is a lack of university published resources regarding “THC compliant” varieties which produce adequate amounts of cannabinoids,…

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Wrapping Up Insect Management for the Year: Pod and Seed Feeding in Soybean

  • September 9, 2020

  • Nick Seiter

In terms of insect management, we are pretty close to the finish line for corn and soybean in Illinois. However, there has been a late-season onset of bean leaf beetles in soybean in some parts of the state. Pod and seed feeders are one of the last insect pest threats we face in soybean, so let’s review our management guidelines as we wrap the season up.
Bean leaf beetles and pod scarring
We have seen some fairly large bean leaf beetle populations in central and northern Illinois over the last couple of weeks.…

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Assessing Corn Rootworm Damage – Now is the Time

  • August 18, 2020

  • Nick Seiter

Corn rootworm activity, in general, appears higher in much of Illinois than it has been for the last several years. Along with higher activity, resistance to Bt traits in western and northern corn rootworm remains our top insect management concern in Illinois corn. We are at a bit of a disadvantage with this insect in that the damage occurs below ground – it is not always obvious that we have a rootworm problem until it is severe enough for lodging to occur.…

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Weather and the 2020 Illinois Corn and Soybean Crops

  • August 5, 2020

  • Emerson Nafziger

What a difference July rainfall makes. The U.S. Drought Map based on data through July 28 showed that only six percent of Illinois was rated as abnormally dry or with moderate drought, down from nearly 19 percent two weeks earlier. Above-normal rainfall over the past week in the southern half of Illinois will erase at least half that area, and with cooler weather this week, crop stress should be minimal during the first half of August,…

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A Statement from the Illinois Department of Agriculture regarding the mailing of unsolicited seeds

  • July 30, 2020

  • Aaron Hager

“We are currently working with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to address reports of unsolicited shipments of seeds from foreign countries. Anyone who receives unordered seeds in the mail should contact the Illinois Department of Agriculture by emailing the following information to agr.seeds@Illinois.gov: First and Last Name, Phone Number and the number of packages received. Do not open the package, plant the seeds, or throw them out. Please keep all seeds unopened and with their original packaging and labels,…

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Impact of recent rains and scouting corn and soybeans

  • July 16, 2020

  • Nathan Kleczewski

Recent fronts that have pushed through the state, giving relief to many areas that have been stressed by heat and a lack of water.  That’s great for productivity, and also can impact diseases.  A new post on the disease outlook and considerations can be found by clicking here.…

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