In the week ending on April 18, planted acreage moved up in Illinois, from 5 to 12% for corn and from 2 to 5% for soybean. The forecast for cool temperatures this week has turned even cooler, with highs in the 40s for several days, and with frost possible, including temperatures that may drop into the upper 20s in some places in mid-week. There may be some snow as well, which as it melts will move as cold water into the soil.…
Planting is off to a fast start in Illinois, with 5 percent of the corn crop and 3 percent of the soybean crop planted by April 11 (NASS). With the exception of much of western Illinois, where heavy rain fell on April 8-9, most of Illinois remains dry, and planting continues, but with some concern about low temperatures that persist.
Temperatures the first half of April were close to average, but were above average the first week and below average the second week of the month.…
“Every agronomic decision is a good one for someone” is a quote that I saw recently that reminds us that being “entrepreneurial” is high valued in today’s business world, rewarded in some cases by large amounts of venture capital invested in startup companies. That’s as true in crop agriculture as in any other business, and it means that startups are under pressure to find or create niches and product(s) to fill them, and to demonstrate that these products are widely sellable.…
March rainfall in Illinois has ranged from as much as an inch below normal in the northern third of the state, to close to normal in central Illinois, to as much as 2 to 3 inches above normal in the southern third of Illinois. This, along with some rain this week, has dampened the hope for a March start to planting in most areas. That gives us time to think about issues related to planting and early-season management.…
The Illinois Department of Agriculture recently announced additional restrictions for dicamba applications to soybean. In addition to the requirements of the federally-approved labels, all use on soybean of pesticides containing dicamba in Illinois shall comply with the following requirements:
Temperature Restriction: A pesticide containing dicamba shall not be applied on soybean if the air temperature at the field at the time of application is over 85 degrees Fahrenheit or if the National Weather Service’s forecasted high temperature for the nearest available location for the day of application exceeds 85 degrees Fahrenheit.…
The Midwestern Hemp Database (MHD) is a large scale collaboration between land grant institutions, private laboratories, non-profit organizations, and grower-cooperators in the Midwest. The goal of this project is to provide regional insight into agronomic performance and cannabinoid development of hemp cultivars grown for cannabinoid production. The data generated from this project is made available through the publicly accessible interface located at: go.illinois.edu/HempDatabase.
The database contains information on production practices (planting method, row spacing,…
I received a notification on my phone this past Wednesday letting me know that it was the date of the Crop Management Conference in Macomb- the location I was going to be in charge of for the 2021 series of meetings. At some point last year, I put that date in my phone, optimistic about the chances of having face-to-face meetings during the winter of 2021. Sadly, as 2020 marched on, my optimism for 2021 marched away.…
Every year, University of Illinois entomologists and plant pathologists conduct a variety of field experiments to evaluate control methods, survey for invasive and established pests, and inform management decisions for plant diseases and insect pests. We publish the results of these experiments in an annual report, which is available to view or download for free at the following link: https://uofi.box.com/v/2020PestPathogenARB
In addition to control evaluations on a variety of pests, this years guide includes:
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The 2021 Weed Control Guide for Ohio, Indiana and Illinois contains 236 pages of weed management information, including weed response ratings for corn and soybean herbicides. Information and recommendations for managing weeds in small grains and forages are included, along with specific information about, and control recommendations for, several problem weed species. The 2021 Weed Control Guide is available in pdf or print format and can be ordered at:
https://extensionpubs.osu.edu/search.php?search_query=789§ion=product
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In late October 2020, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) announced new five-year registrations for the dicamba-containing products XtendiMax, Engenia and Tavium. These labels include new and/or additional application restrictions that were not included on previous labels. Annual dicamba-specific training (which we hope begins soon) offered by the product registrants will undoubtedly cover many/all of the new label changes, but there are a few changes that some currently might not be aware of and might come as a bit of a surprise. …