Weekly Ag Update

By ned birkey

msu EXTENSION EDUCATOR EMERITUS

SPARTAN AG 

 The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center’s outlook through June 8 calls for leaning above normal outlook for temperatures and leaning to likely below normal outlook for precipitation. The CPC official 30-day forecast issued May 21, 2026, calls for a near normal outlook (equal chances) for both temperature and precipitation. The three-month outlook for July, August and September is calling for equal chances to leaning slightly below normal temperatures and equal chances for normal seasonal precipitation. The May 21 drought monitor shows no drought in any parts of Michigan, and all clear for all of Ohio and Indiana, except for the very southern portions of each state.

Wheat is at the critical Feekes growth stage 10 when the head is fully developed but remains inside the flag leaf sheath. Stage 10 quickly gives way to head emergence and pollination, designated by decimal points on the Feekes scale.  Flowering is Feekes 10.5.1 to 10.5.3, for example. Flowering is normally the optimal window to apply fungicides to protect the head against head scab (Fusarium head blight). At this point the flag leaf contributes the vast majority of the energy and sugars needed for grain filling, making it vital to protect it from disease or insect damage.  One key scouting tool for scab risk is: www.wheatscab.psu.edu.

Soybean stand assessment needs to be done after soybeans emerge, more critical this year because of the planting delay and crop insurance deadlines. Soybean stand is not as critically linked to yield as with corn, however early season stand counts are important to evaluate the germination and emergence of the planted crop. Due to recent heavy rains, many soybean fields have had challenging conditions, now including crusting, resulting in uneven emergence. Soybeans have a remarkable ability to compensate for reduced plant populations.

Corn stands are easy to see now with just a few leaves out, so it is important to make notes about planter performance or soil conditions. You can already tell that some fields are not going to win corn yield contests due to gaps, skips and double seeds. As former corn world record holder Francis Childs said, he wants corn plants standing “like soldiers in a row, so that even a rabbit has to run to the end of the row to get to the next row.”

Phlox is a wonderful and colorful plant that is relatively easy to grow now that the danger of frost has passed. Phlox makes a great ground cover, with one type being a low-growing creeping plant. Ankle-high woodland phlox is perfect for dappled and shady beds. Medium-height phlox is often the “backbone” of a perennial garden, proving a layer of color midway through the garden and filling in gaps.