Utilizing winter cover crops for hay and corn production allows you to realize soil conservation benefits while increasing dry matter production per acre. Proper cover crop management in the spring can ensure the subsequent corn crop is successful, as well.

Between the V3 and V5 growth stages, corn transitions from deriving energy directly from the seed to acquiring energy from sunlight through photosynthesis. Visual appearances during these stages offer clues to overall plant health.

Stand establishment depends not only on the success or failure of germination but also on early season stresses. If you notice early stand problems, carefully examine damaged seedlings to discover clues to the likely causes.

By properly identifying the various developmental stages in early season corn growth, producers can make well-informed decisions on replanting, applying herbicides, managing insects and more. Make sure to understand what to look for and how to differentiate the stages.

If your central Corn Belt fields have been damaged by heavy rain, hail, pests or poor emergence, you may consider replanting.

Many farmers feel it is a greater agronomic benefit to apply nitrogen (N) in the spring rather than in the fall, because it coincides with the nitrogen needs of the corn crop. With this thought, a key question of many growers is, “Is a spring nitrogen stabilizer application still needed?”

Northern corn rootworm (NCRW) is one of the most damaging corn pests in North America. Because the NCRW typically has a one-year life cycle, rotating corn with another crop has been a successful management strategy. Unfortunately, some populations of NCRW have successfully adapted to a corn soybean rotation and now have a two-year life cycle. This is called extended diapause because the eggs remain dormant in the soil for almost two years before hatching.

Maximizing yield starts with correct planting, and correct planting starts with adjusting the planter to the proper settings. Carefully check planting equipment before you hit the field this spring.

Planting is arguably the most important time in crop production. Your crop has its maximum yield potential on the day it’s planted. Crop success or failure depends on your ability to control planting factors. Whether it is your first season or your 51st, it’s worthwhile to revisit planting fundamentals.

Seed treatments can help protect soybean seeds and seedlings against a wide range of yield-threatening insects and diseases. Treatments can help to increase stand and vigor, promote earlier canopy closure and improve yield potential. The need for seed treatment depends on soil type, field history and pest pressure. Assess all factors before deciding whether to order seed treatment.

Sudden death syndrome (SDS) is one of the most detrimental diseases in soybeans due to limited management options. Correctly diagnosing the disease in the current season can help growers manage its spread in successive seasons.

Seed treatments are valuable tools for protecting soybean genetic yield potential against a wide range of insects and diseases that threaten early growth. With so many seed treatment options, it is important to understand how each one works to protect your soybean crop.

Producers who plant insect-traited corn are required to manage refuges to preserve Bt technology. With so many trait options, following refuge management guidelines has become more complicated. SmartStax^® Refuge Advanced^® available in Mycogen^® brand hybrids simplifies achieving higher whole-farm yield potential by making refuge management easier. Refuge Advanced ensures refuge compliance in the Corn Belt¹ with a blend of 95 percent SmartStax seeds and 5 percent non-insect-traited refuge seeds in one bag.

Before planting, producers planning to use Mycogen^® brand BMR and TMF corn hybrids should carefully select which fields will be used for corn silage in order to maximize quality and yield.

Like a house with a poorly prepared foundation, corn plants with rootless corn syndrome (or floppy corn syndrome) between the V3 and V8 growth stage can topple at any moment, leading to stunted growth and even plant death. What causes this phenomenon and how can plants survive?

Soybean growers can maximize the yield potential of their crop by ensuring it is planted at an ideal population. Plant populations vary by geography, so it is important to consider local conditions as well as the variety, row width, seed treatments and other factors.

Early season seedling damage can significantly reduce yield. Scout cornfields regularly and diagnose problems before economic losses occur.

Planting larger seeds creates challenges. Growers should follow some basic management tips.

Extensive university research illustrates that corn planted in a twin-row configuration can have a significant yield advantage versus a single-row crop. Several factors support this conclusion.

Soybean seed produced during summers with high heat and drought conditions can lead to increased seed size for the next growing season. These larger seed sizes, ranging from 2,000 to 2,750 seeds per pound, require more management to ensure accurate planting densities. Follow these steps to prepare equipment for planting.

Utilizing winter cover crops for hay and silage production allows you to realize soil conservation benefits while increasing dry matter production per acre. Proper cover crop management in the spring can ensure the subsequent corn crop is successful, as well.

Soybean seed produced during summers with high heat and drought conditions can lead to a wide range in germination rate of seed lots available for the next growing season. The quality of some seed lots may fall below customary industry standards. Be aware of studies that demonstrate how soybean plants can compensate when stands are reduced. Understand factors causing reduced germination and adjust seeding rates, if necessary.

Planting corn at the appropriate population can help maximize the crop’s yield potential. Specific populations can vary by geography so it is important to consider management practices, ear type, row width and other environmental factors.

The optimum time to select corn hybrids for the next season is often in the fall, shortly after harvest is complete and your observations from harvest are still fresh in your mind or can be reviewed in your records. Additionally, early ordering often can help ensure availability of hybrids and seed sizes that best fit your farming practices.

Harvesting corn for silage leaves little plant residue on the ground to help control water runoff and soil erosion. A cover crop either interseeded before or planted immediately after silage harvest will help protect the soil from wind and heavy rains. An established cover crop also helps improve soil structure and uptake of nutrients.

Many factors can cause stand reduction in soybeans. Replanting may be one option to consider.

A high rate of black cutworm (BCW) moth catches, green fields and late planting dates are the perfect recipe for significant damage from black cutworm. Damage can range from very little to almost 100 percent stand loss. To give late-planted corn the best yield potential, make controlling this pest a high priority.

Planting corn at the proper depth helps to ensure proper germination and development, allows for optimum seed-to-soil contact, leads to more uniform emergence and helps achieve top yield potential.

When corn planting is delayed due to inclement weather and poor field conditions, you can still take advantage of the compressed growing season and achieve reasonable yield results by adjusting your hybrid selection and managing cropping activities with later planting dates.

When corn planting is delayed due to inclement weather and poor field conditions, you can still take advantage of the compressed growing season and achieve reasonable yield results by adjusting your hybrid selection and managing cropping activities with later planting dates.

In areas of the Corn Belt, frost and variable soil temperatures can place corn under significant stress after planting.

If your cornfields have been damaged by heavy rain, hail, pests or poor emergence, you may consider replanting.

Sunflowers are grown in many parts of the country and planting dates vary considerably from region to region. Both early and late planting dates have associated benefits and risks.

Protect your crop by scouting sunflower fields for insects, which can appear at different crop maturity stages throughout the growing season. Establish action thresholds for each insect based on population to help determine when an insecticide application is economically sensible.

Demand for higher grain yields are helping to reinforce the importance of healthy, robust corn crops. Using a starter fertilizer can increase early plant growth, nutrient uptake and yield potential, as well as improve overall plant health. What is the best approach to applying a starter fertilizer?

Slug damage in corn and soybeans has increased with the adoption of no-till and minimum-till practices. Because rescue treatment options are limited, growers should take steps to prevent slug damage.

The most common problem associated with poor canola yield is a weak stand, so establishing strong, healthy canola stands is crucial for successful results. Before planting, take time to consider what is needed to get the crop off to a healthy and productive start.

Ensuring fertility is critical to maximizing sunflower yield and profit, but applying fertilizer improperly could result in crop damage and yield loss. Soil tests can help determine nutrient availability and deficiencies.

Sunflowers are very adaptable and can be grown under different environmental and soil conditions. Several university studies illustrate how sunflowers planted at varying populations, depending on the environment, can result in similar yields. When determining planting populations, consider environmental, agronomic and marketing factors to maximize yield and profit potential.

Downy mildew is a soil-borne fungus that infects sunflowers shortly after germination and again at the four- to eight-leaf stage. It also can lead to a secondary infection if spores are splashed or blown on the leaves. New strains of downy mildew have overcome genetic resistance in some sunflower hybrids.

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is an invasive species that is causing economic damage to fruit, vegetable and agronomic crops in the Mid-Atlantic states. The insect now is expanding its range westward across the Corn Belt.

Corn nematodes are plant parasites that exist in every field to some degree. Yield loss varies by nematode species and their populations. Collecting and submitting samples for plant parasitic nematode analysis is the only way to evaluate your exposure.

Flea beetles are one of the most jarring canola pests in the northern Plains. Follow these guidelines to control infestations.

When low temperatures or frost injure young corn plants, you may wonder if these plants will recover. Carefully weigh your options and don’t make any quick replanting decisions. The key to assessing corn seedling viability is to find and observe the growing point.