This last week, my brother was home for the first time in about a year. So, when it rained last week, we will say he was the reason we slowed down for a bit. (Honestly, I think we were just worn down and needed some slow time before we begin prepping for harvest.) The kids always enjoy spending time with uncle Kent!

Unfortunately, with the rain came some wind. In reality, it was probably better the rain came first. The wind was nothing like the derecho they had out west last year, but it was enough. Most soybeans have bounced back up pretty well, but one corn hybrid bent at the ground, pulling the root and all to about a 45 degree angle. Needless to say, no matter the yield, that hybrid is likely off the list going forward.

We won’t know the full extent of wind damage until harvest, but I asked one of the co-ops to put the drone in the field over all our fields next week so that we may prioritize fields when harvest comes. We are also checking into wind and hail coverage we purchased this year to see if there is a claim there. Down crops are never good when it comes to keeping harvest timely and productive.

Waiting on fungicide

We are still waiting on an airplane to get the second fungicide application on the last half of our last fields. It has been more than a month since a v12 application was made. Many fields were approaching R4 late last week when I asked reps from seed corn companies to go through fields that we planted to their hybrids. Both reps concluded that we should still treat.

Since the timing is much later than we desired, we have decided to drop the nutrients out and just go with the fungicide. I will not however be reducing the rate. The last few years, we have done 5 gpa and really liked the coverage. This year we have had to settle at 3 gpa, but I won’t go any lower.

I know some will argue there is no benefit to higher gpa, but my simple mind tells me that coverage is key, especially if we’re late to the party. We continue to have very damp mornings with heavy dew or fog. This is adding to disease pressure.