By LAURIE KIEFABER
Indiana Correspondent MARION, Ind. — New weeds to watch for and a digital ag update were covered at last month’s AgriGold Academy at the Roseburg Event Center, where more than 100 people attended the day hosted by about 15 AgriGold representatives. The newest diseases to look for this year are southern corn rust and tar spot, according to Joe Stephan, AgriGold agronomist for northern Indiana, and Darcy E.P. Telenko, assistant professor and extension field crop pathologist at Purdue University. Both can effect yield and are spreading. "Just because your county is not red (on our map) doesn't mean it's not there," Stephan said. "Scouting is key, even if you have to hire a professional. If you find a pocket of rust, one spore has landed and blew up." "If I walked every field, I would probably find (southern corn rust) in the whole state (of Indiana)," Telenko added. Southern rust is bright orange, while tar spot grows embedded in the leaf tissue and doesn't rub off. Photos of these culprits and where they have been spotted are available at corn.ipmpipe.org Telenko said scientists have been seeing tar spot in the United States since 2015 and they don't know much about its disease cycle yet. The spores can spread 250 feet, and it was first seen in Central America. "Tar spot is so new, please let us know if you find it and send us samples," Stephan said. "If you irrigate, it's worse because you keep it moist," he added. Telenko said she doesn't know if rotation helps, but tar spot can overwinter and has been found in volunteer corn growing among soybeans. "We may have missed it previous years (because we weren't looking for it)," she explained. "We've done (spraying trials), but we won't see the results this year." Hot, dry conditions slow it down, Stephan noted. Farmers can spray fungicide on southern rust from corn's VT (tasseling) through the R3 (milk) growth phases and there will be "possible benefit," Telenko said. In the VT and R1 (silking) stages, it may need a second spray. During the R2 (blister) phase, it's less likely to need a second spray and in R3 (milk) and after no second spray is needed. Spraying during the R4 (dough) stage might have an effect with severe disease pressure, but spraying in the R5 (dent) stage and later is unlikely to have an effect. Telenko said when corn is in the vegetative state, it's unlikely southern rust will be found unless the crop has been planted extremely late for the region. Of course, Stephan reminded producers that fungicide is only effective for 2-3 weeks and it generally takes 60 days for corn to move from tassel to black layer. Jason Carey, digital ag field specialist with AgReliant Genetics LLC, covered digital ag tools in his presentation, including GPS, drones, monitors with auto-steer, and sensors. "In the next 10 years, we will see more sensors (on equipment and around the farm in general)," he predicted. AgReliant offers many digital ag tools for farmers, but he broke it down to weather, soil, seed, and nitrogen tools. The weather tools are most helpful estimating stages of growth with planned planting dates. Initially Carey was to plant 6572 VT2RIB seed on May 8, with growing-degree days (GDDs) by July 4 at 1,200, tassel by July 7, black layer by Sept. 3, and harvest on Sept. 25 at 22 percent. However, conditions were unfavorable for planting because of rain, so he changed his planting date to May 31 and then later, to June 13. With a June 13 planting date, the weather tools allowed him to predict GDDs by July 4 at 563, tassel by July 31, black layer by Nov. 1, and harvest by Nov. 23 at 22 percent. "The weather tools are 84 percent accurate on-trend," Carey added. AgriGold's Tyler Bouse, who helps customers in DeKalb, Kosciusko, LaGrange, and Steuben counties, sees gravel, sand, and several types of dirt. "(The program) really helps you to plant right ... and increase profitability. An educated guess is better than a guess,” especially with weather, he said. Carey said one might not need these tools for the whole farm, but in the tough areas – like poor soil types – it will be most effective. Bob Kling of Kling Farms in Miami County said he had found some of the soil mapping tools helpful. "The CEC map from Advantage Acre" helped with nitrogen distribution because different soil types would not hold as much nitrogen as others. He grows 1,200 acres of corn and non-GMO soybeans. While he is on a budget and uses Excel with notes to track field conditions, he would like to use more tools. "Things are really competitive. I try to get the most out of every acre ... I see the value of using these tools to increase productivity,” he explained. Eastern Iowa farmer Jolene Brown also spoke at the academy on "Stop Fighting on the Way to the Funeral Home!" Brown has written Holy Crap! I Married a Farmer! and Sometimes You Need More than a 2x4! as well as the DVD and workbook set The Top Ten Mistakes That Break Up a Family Business! Telenko, Stephan, and Carey may be reached with questions by email at the following addresses, respectively: dtelenko@purdue.edu, joe.stephan@agrigold.com, and jason.carey@agreliant.com |
