Eastern North Dakota 

Brian McNamee

Test plots are starting to show well. Varieties are starting to stand out and separate themselves. Some of the newer products, especially 0263 R2x, look exciting.

Southeast North Dakota

Gary Geske

You can’t scroll through Facebook or Twitter or tune into the radio this summer without hearing talk about herbicide-damaged crops. The buzz has been so centered on dicamba that many people are quick to make assumptions.

In this photo, dicamba was blamed for the damage when it actually resulted from an HPPD-inhibiting herbicide like Balance or Callisto.

How can you tell the difference? Check out this injury summary from Penn State, and learn the four signs of dicamba drift from the Prairie Farmer.

Crop consultants and college diagnostic labs can aid in proper diagnosis. Correct diagnosis is needed, so the correct actions may be taken to correct the problem in the future. Correct diagnosis is also important for insurance purposes.

Northeast South Dakota 

James Keltgen

Milder temperatures prevailed this last week of July, which coincided with much of tasseling. Many farmers are still waiting on rain. Pastures and crops have been damaged due to lack of rain. Soybeans are beginning to fill pods as some are now waist high. August rains can make a soybean crop, so we’re hoping precipitation is on the way!

Southeast South Dakota

Ramie Coughlin

The last two weeks have brought some much needed rain to South Dakota. Rain fall amounts ranged from one to 11 inches. These two photos were taken only a few miles away and 6 days apart. Wheat harvest is well under way, and yield reports are variable. Some wheat is coming out with good yields, test weight, and protein; other fields got hit by the drought. I have a feeling we’re going to see variable yields across the board this crop year, depending on where and when fields got rain.

Northern Minnesota

Ken Highness

This is 160 acres of Latham’s LH 4242 VT PRO planted April 18 in Clay County near Moorhead, Minnesota. This field is currently in the R2 stage (blister stage) where the kernels are white on the outside, with clear liquid inside. This is a great looking field of corn, but we could use rain to finish out strong at harvest!

Southern Minnesota

Brandon Wendlandt

We’re having a great time at FarmFest! Be sure to stop by Latham Seeds’ booth (#4106) on Wednesday and Thursday to see the exciting new products we’re offering for 2018.

Southern Wisconsin

Greg Mair

In Wisconsin, we have been spared the waterhemp resistance issues up until now.  Waterhemp is showing up in full force including the northwest, southwest, and northeast corners of the state.

Latham® Seeds Rep Clinton Buss discusses weed escapes with a customer in Southwest Wisconsin.  Ignoring weed resistance issue will only create more resistant weeds.  Now is the time to evaluate your herbicide program and plan ahead for next season.  Keep in mind that Latham’s product lineup includes options such as LibertyLink and Xtend Soybeans.  Contact a Latham® Seeds rep to discuss the best option for your fields in 2018.

Northwest Iowa

Darin Chapman

These future Latham® Seed reps are excited to try flying the drone over their family farm! We took good look at our Northwest Iowa Regional Plot.

South Central Minnesota & North Central Iowa

Cory Greiman

These photos remind us of the importance of properly rinsing sprayer lines and tanks.

Southeast Minnesota & Northeast Iowa

Craig Haaland

August is a key time for soybean fields to receive moisture. Soybeans in southern Minnesota are really taking off and growing rapidly now. It’s important to keep scouting as aphid populations are growing.

Managing your corn and soybean fields is critical now. Planes, helicopters and ground sprayers have been really busy this past week putting on fungicide.

West North Central Iowa

Bart Peterson

This field of LH 5939 SS was planted April 12 near Humboldt, in a corn-on-corn situation at 33,000 plants per acre. This field had some pollination issues due to very little rain in the last month in a half. Corn ears don’t look too bad, considering the lack of rain during grain fill.

Eastern Iowa

Jerry Broders

Japanese beetles have been a problem in Eastern Iowa this summer, and some farmers are spraying for them now.  The economic threshold is 20% defoliation a reproductive growth stage in soybeans and 30% for pre-bloom soybeans. Also check your corn for silk clipping by the Japanese beetles.

Central Iowa

Bryan Rohe

Japanese Beatles are showing up in fields near Madrid, Iowa. It’s important to scout fields and note defoliation as treatment might be warranted. Also look in corn fields for leaf clipping.
Lack of moisture has been a problem for many fields across my territory this season, and we’re seeing signs of heat stress. For example, this field of corn near Cambridge is showing little tip back.

Western Iowa & Eastern Nebraska

Larry Krapfl

Just as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey states last week, much of the state is very dry. Farmers are hoping for a good soaking rain as we enter August, which is a critical time for soybeans. Pastures also are in desperate need of rain, and livestock producers hope much needed moisture will fall soon.

Southeast North Dakota

Gary Geske

Does anyone know what this is? I haven’t seen one of these for over 2 months! We finally got ¾” rain overnight without a lot of hail and this was the only puddle.

Northeast South Dakota

James Keltgen

Scattered rain fell again in Northeast South Dakota, leaving from a trace to 2 inches. It wasn’t widespread but some was in areas that needed it. Corn is beginning to tassel and soybeans are gaining height and flowers

Southeast South Dakota

Ramie Coughlin

Latham® Dealers Matt and Taylor Sinkie took a balloon ride over their South Dakota farm this past week.

Northern Minnesota

Ken Highness

This is Latham’s SuperStrip plot in Morris, Minnesota. What a great looking plot by a new dealer here.

Southern Minnesota

Brandon Wendlandt

Unsatisfied with you weed control in soybeans? Well maybe it’s time to try a different trait! Contact me to find out more details on our Roundup Ready 2, Roundup Ready Xtend and Liberty lineup!

Southern Wisconsin

Greg Mair

Today was a good day to take crop report pictures!

The Latham Corn SuperStrip in Ripon, Wisconsin, is nearing the VT stage. Latham’s new 99-day SmartStax LH 4919 SS is showing off its excellent roots and stalks in this plot.

Meanwhile, across town in Ripon, the L 2482 R2 Soybeans are flowering and look excellent.  Timely rains in this area, while missing most of the heavy rains, have the area farmers hoping for another bin-busting crop in 2017.

Northwest Iowa

Darin Chapman

Maximum corn water usage occurs during tasseling, and we could use some rain in Northwest Iowa. Growers will be starting to think about fungicide application. I have heard a 20 bushel advantage the last couple of growing seasons!

South Central Minnesota & North Central Iowa

Cory Greiman

This field of LH 5505 VT2 PRO in Mitchell County Iowa, and many other local fields, are starting to tassel. Corn fields have really taken off the past 7-10 days. A few fields are being sprayed with fungicide. Soybean fields are starting to fill there rows.

We actually could use a little moisture since we’ve been getting these hot and humid days.

West North Central Iowa

Bart Peterson

Yesterday I put up field signs with Latham® dealer EJ Wolter from West Bend, Iowa. His plot looks very nice.

Eastern Iowa

Jerry Broders

One advantage of working with Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds is access to seed options. You can see in this one plot that our dealer is showcasing Latham®  soybean with these traits and technologies: Balance GT, Roundup Ready 2 and Roundup Ready Xtend. We also have seed treatment options including SoyShield, SoyShield Plus, SoyShield Plus + Ilevo treated soybeans and Nemastrike.

Western Iowa & Eastern Nebraska

Larry Krapfl

Fields of Latham 5405 and 5509 are looking pretty good by Castana, Iowa.

Eastern North Dakota 

Brain McNamee

We have had a very troubling spring with the dry planting conditions, hail, and all the replants and now the widespread drought in North Dakota.  There is a lot to feel down about, so let’s just focus on the end result and the not-so-distant past with terrific results. Here are a couple of my favorites pics from last fall.

Southeast North Dakota

Gary Geske

We had a slim chance of rain Tuesday evening, but unfortunately it went around us. It would sure be nice to pick up an inch or two before this week of extremely high temps. Corn is already under significant stress.

Northeast South Dakota

James Keltgen

Hotter weather has moved in to our region, which is both a blessing and a curse. Crops are behind normal pace and need heat units, but many areas are extremely dry and need moisture. Damage already has been done to small grains and will likely incur to row crops this week if the needed rain doesn’t fall.

Southeast South Dakota

Ramie Coughlin

Corn was well past knee-high this Fourth of July. While much of South Dakota is in a slight to moderate drought, there are still some areas in the southeast where moisture is not yet a limiting factor. The last couple weeks of June helped catch us up on GDUs. Although we’re just a little behind last year’s GDUs, we’re ahead of the 10-year average.

Northern Minnesota

Ken Highness

Twisted whorl, also called buggy whipped corn, is evident in the northern part of my sales region. I took these photos July 3 near Beltrami, Minnesota.

Although this syndrome is not fully understood by scientists, there is a correlation between its presence and weather patterns. Twisted whorl is often present when there has been a sharp transition from periods of slow corn to periods of rapid corn development, or from cool and cloudy weather to warm and sunny weather plus ample moisture.

Southern Minnesota

Brandon Wendlandt

In last week’s crop report, I mentioned that I’d be eager to see the results after spraying Xtendimax on Latham brand soybeans L 2184 R2X. This picture was take three days after application. The giant ragweed is taking more time, but the waterhemp has keeled over!

Southern Wisconsin

Greg Mair

We have had excessive moisture in Wisconsin since planting began, causing many areas of fields to be drowned out or never planted.  Due to the wet spring, these Latham Seed-2-Soil Technology and Soybean SuperStrip plots were not planted until June 1 along Highway 73 near Cambridge.  With this week’s projected forecast calling for high temps, we should see significant growth in the coming days.

Now that spraying has been completed, it is a great time to scout your fields.  Identifying pests and determining a course of action now can potentially increase profits at harvest.

Northwest Iowa

Darin Chapman

It was a great looking day at BA Farms! Hope you all enjoyed the holiday!

South Central Minnesota & North Central Iowa

Cory Greiman

Infection and disease is more likely after crops are damaged. To help protect their injured crop, farmers often apply herbicide after a hail event. Some foliar diseases, however, do not require wounds for infection. Foliar diseases favor rainy and/or humid weather like we’ve been experiencing here in North Iowa.

Southeast Minnesota & Northeast Iowa

Craig Haaland

This plot conventional hybrids from of Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds is planted May 9 west of Chatfield, Minnesota. Corn around this area is really starting to take off thanks to the warm temps and rainfall we’ve been getting. Remember, it’s important to keep walking your fields to stay ahead of disease and pest pressure.

West North Central Iowa

Bart Peterson

Potassium (Potash) deficiency appears as a firing or drying along the tips and edges of leaves.

Eastern Iowa

Jerry Broders

The picture below shows some of the damage from a tornado near Prarieburg.

Central Iowa

Bryan Rohe

Western Iowa & Eastern Nebraska

Larry Krapfl

Eastern North Dakota 

Brain McNamee

An example of imbibitional chilling effect in Northern North Dakota. Due to cold, wet spring conditions, I’m seeing more cases of imbibitional chilling and soil compaction on more acres this growing season.

Southeast North Dakota

Gary Geske

We’re expecting a big crop near Enderlin, North Dakota! Two slabs are ready for 35,000-bushel grain bins.

Northeast South Dakota

James Keltgen

Strong and severe storms came through Northeast South Dakota last Wednesday morning. Winds of 20 miles per hour (mph) combined with a 20-minute hail storm, leaving 2.5-inch drifts, south of Watertown. Crops and buildings were completely destroyed. There is still a fair amount of replant being put in due to the hail and poor stands from lack of moisture.

Northern Minnesota

Ken Highness

This field of Latham 4454 VT2 PRO RIB was planted April 15 near Glyndon, Minnesota. According to an old farm adage, having corn knee-high by the Fourth of July was an important bench mark for your corn crop. Growing condition have been very favorable so far, and this farmer expects to have a good crop.

Southern Minnesota

Brandon Wendlandt

Xtendimax^TM was sprayed June 26 on this field of Latham® Hi‑Tech Soybeans L 2184 R2X. This photo shows glyphosate-resistant waterhemp and giant ragweed, so we’re eager to take a look at this field next week!

Southern Wisconsin

Greg Mair

Latham® brand soybeans with the LibertyLink™ trait, pictured on the right, were planted before the rain and into good soil conditions. The Liberty soybeans on the left, however, were planted the day after the rain into wet soil conditions.  Compaction is evident in the field.  This portion of the field also crusted over severely affecting the emergence.

Northwest Iowa

Darin Chapman

We continue to receive plenty of rainfall in Northwest Iowa along with cooler temps. Heat degree units would be beneficial!

South Central Minnesota & North Central Iowa

Cory Greiman

It’s that time of year when Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC) rears its ugly heads. Not all soybeans have the defensive package needed as evident in this field planted to a competitor’s soybeans. Keep in mind that Latham® IRONCLAD is Your Best Defense Against IDC.

Southeast Minnesota & Northeast Iowa

Craig Haaland

This Latham Soybean SuperStrip plot was planted May 13 north of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, We have received adequate rainfall so far this growing season. In fact, corn and soyean fields have really changed during the last week to 10 days. It’s been amazing to watch how quickly the replanted acres have caught up with the rest of these fields. Remember to scouting your fields. Mid-season scouting is necessary to stay ahead of weeds, insects and pests!

West North Central Iowa

Bart Peterson

Lots of spraying has been taking place in West Central and North Central Iowa this week. Here’s we’re spraying Liberty beans near Woolstock, Iowa, during a beautiful sunrise.

Eastern Iowa

Jerry Broders

The two photos I’m sharing this week demonstrate the resilience of corn to hail damage. One photo was taken on June 14 and the other photo was taken of the same field on June 26.

Central Iowa

Bryan Rohe

Iron Deficiency Chlorosis is showing up in some soybeans fields in the area. Remember, your best defense against IDC is planting IDC-resistant soybean brands. Latham Hi‑Tech Seeds makes that easy to do with our IRONCLAD designation. These soybean fields near Story City, Iowa, are planted to Latham® brands L 2084 R2 and L 2228 R2.

Western Iowa & Eastern Nebraska

Larry Krapfl

In last week’s crop report, I began talking about the evasive weed of Palmer Amaranth. This aggressively invasive weed was found in only 5 of Iowa’s 99 counties at the beginning of 2016 but has spread to more than half the state’s counties now. Early identification is key to managing Palmer Amaranth, which is nearly identical to waterhemp.

Another noxious weed that’s drawing serious attention is Wild Parsnip, which is commonly found in Iowa road ditches. Wild Parsnip might be confused with a wild flower, but don’t cut it for a bouquet! Touching this poisonous plant could land you in the emergency room! Sap on the plant causes a reaction on skin that turns into painful blisters, boils and scarring. Experts say if you do come into contact with the plant, to wrap up the area immediately to protect it from sunlight.

Eastern North Dakota

Brain McNamee

The good news is that rain finally fell in some drought-stricken areas. Too bad last weekends weather event also delivered damaging hail as pictured in this field near Rugby, ND. This field was a total loss with less than 5% viable plants left.

Fortunately, the two showers that followed this storm delivered more rain and zero hail.

Emergence before the storm was very erratic, causing plant stand evaluations to be difficult. Because we haven’t had rain for so long, soybeans were planted into dry dirt and laid dormant for three weeks.

You know the hail damage is bad when cattail sloughs look like this!

Southeast North Dakota

Gary Geske

My grandkids helping scout a field of Latham LH 3877 VT2 PRO RIB.

Mid-season crop scouting is important for two reasons: (1) different weed, insect and disease pressures become evident this time of year; and (2) summer months are a crucial time to decide which traits to implement when buying seed for the next crop year. Click here for more crop scouting tips.

Northeast South Dakota

James Keltgen

It’s been an active week of weather in NESD. 3-6 inches of rain fell in the Clark and Watertown areas. Damaging winds and hail leveled fields northeast of Watertown. The good news is rain fell in the worst drought areas in central SD this week. There has been damaging storms this weekend in SD the last 3 years. Growers are baling winter wheat for feed near Gettysburg. Spring wheat may be too short to cut. Pastures are brown but corn and soybeans held on long enough to catch rains.

Southeast South Dakota

Ramie Coughlin

Look what’s cropping up in Southeast South Dakota… This week my family and I welcomed our fourth member. Daxton Ryan said hello to the world at 12:40 am on June 13, weighing in at 6 pounds, 15 ounces and stretching to 20 inches long. He is loving life on the outside, and we are loving life with him!

Northern Minnesota

Ken Highness

My grandson Casen and I are doing root digs on Latham’s experimental corn varieties in a SuperStrip plot near Felton, MN. This plot was planted May 7. At this stage, the root mass is well developed. The very white roots indicate an excellent healthy plant.

Southern Minnesota

Brandon Wendlandt

Storms came through much of southern Minnesota on Sunday and Monday and brought much needed rain. While some areas reported more, I received 2 inches of rain at my house. Some small hail was reported with the storm, but we haven’t seen crop damage from it here. Other areas did receive damaging hail and winds, so it will take a few days to assess the damage and decide a course of action.

Southern Wisconsin

Greg Mair

The cold, wet spring has caused stand reductions in all crops across the Corn Belt. A final stand evaluation is a key component to yield at harvest.

Using the Hula-Hoop method for soybeans, we determined this location in Deerfield, Wisc. had an average stand of 130,000 plants per acre (ppa). We threw a 36″ hula-hoop around the field and calculated the number of plants within by the corresponding factor (6,165) to get plants per acre. Click here for more tips on assessing corn and soybean stands.

Northwest Iowa

Darin Chapman

Check out the picket fence stand and great emergence from Latham’s LH 4955 VT2 PRO!

Northwest Iowa just received a couple shots of much needed rain in the last couple of days.  Unfortunately, some received damaging hail with that rain.

South Central Minnesota & North Central Iowa

Cory Greiman

When spring weather is wet, some farmers get overly anxious about getting seed in the ground.  We understand their sense of urgency, but we also know they’ll have better results if they wait for more suitable field conditions. Here’s a case in point see the wheel track compaction in a corn field due to working it when soils were too wet?

Top 10 Reasons to Avoid Soil Compaction:

1. Causes nutrient deficiencies
2. Reduces crop productivity
3. Restricts root development
4. Reduces soil aeration
5. Decreases soil available water
6. Reduces infiltration rate
7. Increases bulk density
8. Increases sediment and nutrient losses
9. Increases surface runoff
10. Damages soil structure

Click here for tips to avoid soil compaction.

Southeast Minnesota & Northeast Iowa

Craig Haaland

This nice looking field of LH 5010 conventional corn was planted around May 7 in Dodge Center, Minnesota. Fortunately, we’ve finally received some much needed rain. This hot, humid weather pattern is sticking. It’s going to be important to scout your fields to stay ahead of any insect and disease pressure.  Scouting fields also can help you note changes needed to your 2018 crop plan.

West North Central Iowa

Bart Peterson

LH 5095VT2 PRO, planted April 11, near Rolfe in West Central Iowa has already canopied. Corn is at V6 to V7 stage.

Eastern Iowa

Jerry Broders

Time of planting and soil conditions have played a huge role in soybean emergence this planting season.

These photos were taken last week at planting time. Dry soil needs rain to help move along these plants.

Central Iowa

Bryan Rohe

High heat and no moisture is casing corn plant in Central Iowa.

Western Iowa & Eastern Nebraska

Larry Krapfl

Photo 1

LH 3158 LL planted April 18  full shade on the 15-inch rows

Photo 2

This field of LH 6317 VT2 PRO DG RIB, which was planted April 12, will be knee high before the 4th of July.

Photo 3 

LH 6175 VT2 PRO RIB is nearly waist high on this Latham dealers farm in western Iowa