BCS agronomist: Disease possible

CHENOA – The weather in our part of Illinois went from being dry to fairly wet which means crop disease is possible this summer.

“I know that gray leaf spot in corn, in the past, has been a problem. I would assume this year is probably not going to be much different,” said Nic Roth, an agronomist with BCS Soil Fertility and Pest Management.

It is a little early to tell what will happen with soybeans, but experts recommend scouting fields. There have been reports of Japanese beetles in both corn and soybeans, although no big problems are prevalent.

Roth recommends looking out for weed escapes in soybeans – especially water hemp. Some Central Illinois growers were forced to replant soybeans this month due to the extreme late spring weather.

“My philosophy has always been that you’re better off having something growing out there other than weeds,” Roth added.

Most of the corn could pollinate within a similar time frame this year because of how quick the crop was planted in the spring.

“Most of it is probably going to pollinate in a pretty quick window, I would say within two weeks.”

The BCS nitrogen application season went well as crews really didn’t have any instances where they were rained out, meaning there was plenty of time to get nitrogen on corn fields. A few BCS customers have opted to do a later season nitrogen application.

New resources which can be found on the BCS website at www.soilbalance.com include herbicide labels and growing degree day calculators among other useful tools. BCS is located between Fairbury and Chenoa off of Route 24 at Weston and also on Route 9 between Colfax and Arrowsmith. A third location is coming soon.

Roth was the guest on last week’s “CIFN Friday Live” program on Facebook, sponsored by the McLean County Farm Bureau. Catch this week’s show by visiting the “Central Illinois Farm Network” page on Friday morning.