With the heat locally back in June and around eight inches of rain from mid-July until now, both the corn and soybean crops have experienced rapid growth. Local Farmer and past American Soybean Association Chairman Ron Moore, says the weather in August has a big impact on soybean production, while the weather experienced in July impacts corn production, keeping growers on alert for any potential diseases:
“Our crops look really good right now, but with all the moisture we have had, I’m concerned about potential diseases cropping up in corn and soybeans. When you get lots of moisture, that tends to bring some diseases the crop up. We don’t have anything showing up just yet, but we are watching making sure we recognize that it could be a potential problem,” states Moore.
“In corn, we have a new disease that has come up the last several years called tar spot. It comes in late and really damages the potential for the kernels to fill out. Then in soybeans there is a new one that has come up, red crown rot, which tends to kill the plant early. Sudden death syndrome used to be prevalent in soybeans, but most farmers are adding a seed treatment that helps alleviate some of the sudden death,” Moore adds.
