Scouting

We are finishing up our wheat scouting for this phase. We will evaluate crop and seed quality before and during harvest.

Farmers really need to scout their fields right now as they make planting, spraying and replanting decisions. Good agronomists are very busy making these decisions for their customers.

The picture is a nice field of Certified Hopewell soft red winter wheat for seed. Sable loves running through these fields scaring out birds and bugs. She was totally wore out last night, like me.

You have to look into the canopy but this field has quite a bit of Septoria leaf spot which could become Staganospora glume blotch. There was more cereal leaf beetle larvae damage to the leaves than one would like but this year it was very trying to evaluate and spray as needed. The weather just didn't cooperate.

Still, this will be a good seed source. There won't be much of it available in our region. It is a top variety from here through Michigan. I notice that 2011 wheat is a little over a dollar more per bushel today than July 2010 wheat. Generally the wheat really outgrew the weeds after it broke dormancy, fields are about as clean as ever. Just a few bugs and diseases to deal with.

Full tillage wheat is the worst, it got heaved out this winter and most of it was killed and put into another crop. There is another advantage to no-till. Yet the pathologist at Penn State says full tillage is the best disease control practice. The two don't mesh.

Farmers are slowly getting into planting soybeans again, hoping to finish before June. I don't know if that will happen. Some Memorial Day plans will change. I really want to mow and decorate graves as the cemeteries don't have the funds to do it like they normally have. The well kept for cemeteries really stick out here.

The little corn replanting that needs to be done can't be because of moisture. They are just too wet to tear up or spot in seed.

This warm weather is really making crops jump in size. Finally summer weather is here. It is warm and humid and I saw heating and air conditioning service trucks everywhere yesterday.

Ed