dave.draker's blog

It is nice to post a progress report that we have actually made considerable progress in getting the 2013 crop in the ground. Planters really started kicking into gear this week and it is amazing with the size of machinery that we have today, the number of acres that can be tilled and planted in a short amount of time.

The wet weather and calendar increase the urge to get back into the fields earlier than the soil may dictate. Getting into the field "one day too soon" can result in sidewall compaction and/or surface compaction that will put the corn crop further behind all season.

DOWNLOAD: Technical Bulletin #176 - Wet Weather and Planting

Planting corn when soil temperature and moisture conditions are most favorable is critical to uniform emergence and early establishment.

Stewart's bacterial wilt and leaf blight is a serious disease of sweet corn, dent corn, flint corn, and popcorn in the United States. This disease is especially a problem in the eastern portions of the Corn Belt. Damage from Stewart's wilt varies from year to year, but blighting of leaves can be found in some fields each year.  In sweet corn, severe damage results when infected seedlings wilt and die.

Soybean yields this year were almost as much of a surprise as the corn yields. The difference being, most of the time it was a surprise on the positive side. Some of the things that were discussed in the corn blog can be carried through to the soybean side. With the weather pattern we experienced this year we saw very little disease. With soybeans being a legume and having a tap root, they fair slightly better on a dry year. Soybeans for the most part do not like “wet feet”, but they do respond well to rains later into the growing season.

Corn harvest has all but wound down in Eastern Iowa, I think the season can be summed in one word = WOW. Wow from the aspect of how severely some areas were affected by the drought and Wow on how good some areas were where they were lucky enough to receive some timely rains.

In a year where we were for the most part absent from diseases, in areas that received rain they had a chance to see the top end potential of hybrids.

For the most part harvest is underway in eastern Iowa. Yields are what we expected - all over the board. The major difference from being pleasantly surprised and disappointed comes down to if the field received any measurable rain in the month of June. Most areas received a tenth or two, but I am talking about areas that received 2 plus inches in June. These areas seem to be pulling out some decent yields.

For the most part it has been the same story in Eastern Iowa: Hot and Dry.  The last several weeks have really taken a toll on the crop.  It has compounded our pollination issues that we were experiencing from high temperatures and insect feeding.  The corn that did find a way to pollinate is aborting back kernels on the tip.  This year plant health is critical, keeping the factory in the corn plant working as efficiently possible will make a huge difference this year.

Conditions range from still looking ok to some of the most moisture/heat stressed corn I have seen.  Many areas have received as little as 2 tenths of an inch of rain since the first of June.  Some of the main concerns in these areas are pollination, - one, if the corn plant pollinated at all and - two, how much kernel abortion we will experience if this heat/dry weather continues.  In some of the dryer areas I am seeing pollination miss the “nick”.  What this means that is that silking and pollen shed timing due not match up.  The corn plant will onl

Conditions have been some of the most erratic that I have seen in a long time. Because of the recent dry weather, planting depth consistency played a huge part in a uneven emerging stands. Planting depth differences of as little as 1/4-1/2 inch in dry soil made a dramatic difference in even emergence.

Most of the corn is in the V-9 plus stage and the nodal roots are getting established and we are starting to see some evidence of root worm feeding.