Conditions continue to be ripe for disease in both corn and soybeans. Tar spot continues to be a major concern for corn growers, but Specialty Hybrids field sales representative Dan Cable says fungicide applications have helped thus far.
“We’ve been doing a lot of applications for tar spot. We’ve had some instances of tar spot, but it really hasn’t taken hold like we thought it might this year.”
Cable adds that we have seen some disease in soybeans, but it could be worse.
“There’s been a little bit of sudden death started in the southern part of the state, Southern Lenawee County, and part of that is we’ve had adequate rain. I know there are areas where they’re getting more white mold started now. We’ve had plenty of moisture all of a sudden after being dry for so long. It seems like we should be getting some things and, fortunately, it hasn’t been quite as bad as it could have been.”
When it comes to yield expectations for this year, Cable says it’ll vary across the state.
“There are areas that are looking at a very, very nice crop that came through the drought well, had good stands, and have gotten more than enough water. And with application to avoid the disease, we could have some really good corn in places. Yet, there are other places on different soil types where we’ve got very thin stands and some stuff came on late. There are actually areas on hillsides that didn’t germinate until they got some rain here the first of July.”
For soybeans, Cable believes they should be in good shape as long as it keeps raining, but both crops need some heat to finish properly.
Learn more about Specialty Hybrids at SpecialtyHybrids.com.
