Extension specialists and educators provide timely information on management of weeds, insects and disease in Wisconsin cropping systems.
As more farmers have now grown up in the age of computers and software development, we are starting to see an increase in open-source projects related to agriculture. Open-source software (OSS) is a software product for which the code is freely available to the public to use or modify.
Dr. Tommy Butts, assistant professor of weed management at Purdue University, presents on the chemistry of herbicide applications.
Dr. Tommy Butts, assistant professor of weed management at Purdue University, covered conventional technology related to drift and weed control. Butts dug into the effects of spray volume, spray pressure, droplet size, and tip selection related to herbicide type.
Soybean aphids (Aphis glycines) are an invasive pest from Asia that can significantly stunt plant growth and yield. Soybean aphids feed on the sap of plants and leave behind a sticky residue.
European corn borers (Ostrinia nubilalis) are destructive corn pests in Wisconsin. Larvae destroy developing tassels, bore into stalks, and attack ear tips. European corn borer damage reduces grain quality, increases grain loss, and leads to harvesting problems.
Corn earworms (Helicoverpa zea) are a species of moth whose larvae feed on a variety of crops in the Midwestern United States. The larvae mainly affect sweet corn and hybrid dent seed corn but also feed on field corn, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and snap beans.
In spots, too much water accumulated and led to drowned out spots and in some cases even entire fields. In spots, these areas were re-planted. In other areas, troublesome weeds like waterhemp are quickly escaping and will likely produce plenty of seed before a killing frost occurs.
As we pass the halfway point of the 2024 growing season, it’s important to remember that insect pests currently in fields may also affect 2025 crops. Many pests lay eggs that overwinter and can cause crop damage in the subsequent year. Corn rootworm is a key pest to watch.
Scouting is more important now than ever. Why? Well, a general rule of thumb is problems are best handled early. This applies to insect pests as the earlier you see an infestation, the easier it is to avoid economic damage. So, you might be wondering, what should I be watching for right now?
Western bean cutworm (Striacosta albicosta) is an economic pest in dry bean and corn production. Despite its name, western bean cutworm (WBCW) does not naturally feed on field soybeans. Larvae feed on corn ears, leading to yield loss and reduced grain quality.
The July 24 Badger Crop Connect webinar featured Dr. Shawn Conley, Extension Soybean and Small Grains Agronomist and Professor in the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison. Shawn discusses preliminary results from 2024 Wisconsin winter wheat performance trials including yield, test weight and disease presence data; cover crop challenges in 2024; and the status of soybean stands across Wisconsin.
The July 24 Badger Crop Connect webinar featured Dr. Damon Smith, Extension field crops pathologist and Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin–Madison. Damon gives an update on what diseases he’s seeing in Wisconsin farm fields in late July 2024. He mainly discusses white mold in soybean and tar spot in corn and management practices for each.
