Production

• By Larry Steckel • Ryegrass appears to have escaped burndown in a number of fields that have been planted to corn. In most cases, the ryegrass escaped a glyphosate plus dicamba burndown. The reason for the lack of control is the continued evolution of glyphosate-resistance in our ryegrass population as well as dicamba decreasing the effectiveness of glyphosate on ... Read More »

Including corn in a crop rotation provides growers with a great opportunity to get a handle on problematic weeds, such as Palmer amaranth. Field Crop Agent, Anthony Growe, tells us how in this short video: Corn is a very competitive crop and when it’s planted on narrow row spacings, 30 inches or even down to 20 inches, canopy closure will ... Read More »

• By Angela McClure • We keep sliding back into a “below normal” temperature pattern for April. Near-freezing temperatures with rain in this week’s forecast has created some concern about viability of corn and soybeans planted this week. Based on current weather reports, nighttime temperatures are forecasted to be close to freezing Tuesday and Wednesday night (April 20 and 21) ... Read More »

Corn producers know that corn is most vulnerable to insects pressures within the first four weeks. For that reason, pre-plant herbicide burndown applications and other integrated pest management practices are key to a successful crop. Seed treatments are important Alabama Cooperative Extension System entomologist Katelyn Kesheimer said seed treatments are a great option for producers to give corn seeds an ... Read More »

• By Mitch Williams • In order to achieve optimum corn yields, we need to get the corn crop off to a good start. Dr. Ron Heiniger, North Carolina State Extension corn specialist, has done much research over the past few years showing the importance of uniform emergence. The video below explains that to attain uniform emergence, we need to ... Read More »

Weed management is a year-round job, but producers take special care to make sound management decisions prior to planting— including cover crop burndown. David Russell, an Alabama Extension weed scientist, offers suggestions for planting into a weed-free field and maintaining a clean corn crop throughout the growing season. His areas of specialization include corn, soybeans, small grains, forages and non-crops. ... Read More »

• By Ryan McGeeney • Early planting appears to be making a return to Arkansas in 2021. With the start of the recommended planting window for corn and soybeans less than two weeks away, anecdotal reports from growers and Cooperative Extension Service agents indicate producers are eager to take advantage of clear weather as it occurs. Jason Kelley, Extension wheat ... Read More »

The Environmental Protection Agency has registered Vayantis fungicide seed treatment from Syngenta for use on corn and soybeans. It contains the active ingredient picarbutrazox, a completely new active ingredient that targets key blight and damping-off diseases, such as Pythium and Phytophthora, according to a company news release. Picarbutrazox belongs to the tetrazolyloximes chemical group of fungicides and its mode of ... Read More »

The days of manually calculating numbers on spreadsheets to determine how much liquid fertilizer should be used to fertigate row crops may soon be gone, thanks to a new web-based calculator from Clemson University. The Clemson Center Pivot Fertigation Calculator is designed to help agricultural producers make more precise fertilizer applications, which will save money and increase crop productivity. This ... Read More »

• By Larry Steckel • Ready or not, burndown season is here! There has been very little burndown applied to date. Weather permitting, some would like to start corn planting before April 1. A potential short turnaround time from burndown to corn planting is most problematic in controlling ryegrass, particularly if the ryegrass is glyphosate resistant. There are really three ... Read More »