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Now is the time to scout fields
Now is the time to scout fields for potential issues that could negatively impact yields.
Matt Hutcheson, a product manager with Ohio-based Seed Consultants, says farmers should check stalk integrity in areas that experienced drought stress.
“If we have stalk cannibalization, we could have some standability issues,” he says. “It’s critical to know if you went through some stress, you may some agronomic problems potentially in your corn crop that you want to get out there and get it harvested sooner than later.”
He tells Brownfield scouting fields should be a priority.
“Prior to harvest is a great time to walk around and take a look at fields to get a good idea of what’s out there,” he says. “If you do have issues or problems, it’s easier to assess them now while the crop is still standing and there is more to look at. If you see lower yields than expected or problem areas after you’ve harvested it can be harder to assess what happened and come up with a solution for the future.”
Hutcheson says he’s seeing some sudden death syndrome in soybeans.
“Going forward some things we can do are to try to alleviate that compaction, work on our fields where we can get better drainage, plant later in fields if you know there are some of those potential issues, and then work with your seed rep to get better resistance or tolerance to sudden death syndrome in your soybean seed genetics,” he says.
He says he’s anticipating variable yields across Ohio.
“I think we have some areas where there should be some pretty outstanding crops,” he says. “It seems like some areas where there was rain every week or every other week, plenty of moisture, and a good growing season. And then we had other areas where we went 3-6 weeks with dry conditions in June and July and I think we’ll see some of those crops take a hit and take some of the top-end yield off those crops.”
Brownfield interviewed Hutcheson during the Farm Science Review in London, Ohio.
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Audio: Matt Hutcheson
