Boots In The Field Report: Recent Episodes

Ken Ferrie

The Boots in the Field Report features Crop-Tech Consulting agronomist Ken Ferrie. He will keep you up-to-date by describing what he is seeing while in the field.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie covers the range of yields being called in as harvest kicks off and reminds growers to stay on top of the push test when letting corn dry down in the field. Due to the variability in fields, combine operators will have to continuously check for harvest loss as they change fields and change hybrids. Ken also warns, with the dry June, growers will need to watch out for carry over issues on those products with 10 month cropping restrictions.

Ken covers what he saw in his travels through IN, OH, NY, and IA in this week’s Boots In The Field Report. The Eastern region, traveled on way to New York, showed plenty of rain but being further behind in maturity than GDUs and planting date would normally be. Have had several cases of tar spot and SDS and he suspects that number to increase with this week’s heat. Ken mentions that the early planted corn that struggled causing it to be short and fail to close the rows is going to be hit harder by this week’s temperatures. In Iowa driving through the parts in the D2 region of the drought map, seeing fields with ears hanging down and plants burning up above the ear. In all areas of travel, Ken reports massive weed pressure in both beans and corn.

Ken uses this #BIFR to catch up on pest reports, update tar spot locations, cyst pressure coming around traits, how last week’s heat affected this crop and why you don’t want to group up your pollination window. He reminds growers to check planting dates when reviewing yield plots this year to create fair comparisons.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie touches base with Matt Duesterhaus to get more insight in how fields are looking in the areas hit by the derecho that went through and how crops and growers are fairing in the week since. Ken also covers what the short corn means for yield potential and why the rule of thumb about plants being more than a collar behind is different this year than when looking at years with uneven emergence. Ken also gives a run down of the pest reports and shares that they found Tar spot in a field South of Jacksonville, IL last week. Ken warns growers that with this rain, our relatively disease free fields, are likely to see a change.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken talks about how the wildfire haze might be helping us out in this drought, why corn on corn or corn with a rye cover are getting hit harder in dry areas, and why it is especially important to keep an eye out for silk clippers this year. He continues to reminder growers to never walk away from a growing crop and encourages growers to work to help the crop pollinate because if you miss pollinations and it starts to rain, there is no recourse to go back and fix it.

Grab a cup of coffee or a cold bottle of water, Ken has two weeks to cover in this week’s Boot’s In The Field Report. He walks through frost reports in NE Iowa, drought map getting bigger and uglier, and corn hitting the rapid growth stage amid water concerns. In these challenging conditions the sins of spring are coming to light, and while many may have gotten away with the same practices in other years without a penalty, not everyone is getting away with it this year without a cost.

Growers are starting to see some prolonged carbon penalty issues crop up, even with sidedress applied, the lack of water is keeping it from getting to the root system for uptake. Ken reminds growers when sidedressing or Y-dropping the N applied should be for later season green and standability, not for plant building. If you are seeing a hit to sidedress timing this year in building the crop, you may need to rework the 4Rs of your Nitrogen program.

Plant height is also tattling on some practices that might be hindering an operation. He is seeing plants at the same vegetative stage but stacking internodes due to stress, and a lack of crown roots because of dry conditions or lack of soil.

The dry weather has created a lot of carryover issues and is something, if these dry conditions hang on, will be a concern next year as well. Growers are also facing issues with lodged wheat, cutworm, armyworm, and rootworm. Ken also warns about parking mowers and keeping an eye on spider mites in the field.

Despite the tough conditions, Ken reminds growers to never walk away from a growing crop. This growing season has issued some challenges, but Ken encourages growers to stay engaged and keep their heads up. This is when, as professionals, it is time to step up to the plate.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers some of the issues he is seeing in this dry weather including drought stress on crops, herbicide carryover from last June being dry, and lack of mass flow for potassium uptake. He continues to get reports of leaning corn issues due to lack of crown root development and warns that dicamba type product applications will probably make this problem worse. He has also spotted silvering on corn due to low temp / scalding on leaves, cutworm damage on beans planted into cover, and first flowers on early planted beans. He also advises growers to be on army worm watch this weekend and to make sure in these dry conditions to use a urease inhibitor with y-drop and surface sidedress applications.

Ken takes a little more time this week to catch up with the Matt Duesterhaus in Quincy, Il to see how their harvest finished up and then speaks with Isaac Ferrie on what they saw on the plot side this year during this week’s Boots In The Field Report. Matt commented on higher-than-average corn yields, surprising a lot of growers for how dry they got in August. He also covers some wind events, wildlife damage and fungicide results that he saw in his area. Isaac touches on the plot program results and what the research department is working on to prepare for the winter meetings. Ken reminds growers of the upcoming educational opportunities of Beyond the Basics, Hand Harvest, and Virtual Winter College.

In this week’s Boots in The Field Report Ken Ferrie recaps the last of the plots coming out, highlighting a fungicide plot out of this year’s tar spot alley, NE Iowa. He also goes over some of the yield data coming out of the ear flex plots and why some areas that experienced a flash drought in the rapid growth stage may be disappointed in the yields of their L1 hybrids. Ken reminds growers to mitigate risk with their hybrid selection and know the weaknesses of the chosen hybrids so they can farm around them.

In this week’s Boots in The Field Report Ken covers harvest progress throughout the state and reports most areas pleased with corn yields and ended up with average bean yields. Several reports coming in have shown a reduced yield coming out of the April planted corn this year and Ken reminds growers that we plant by soil conditions and not the calendar.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken recaps harvest progress and reminds growers to be patient and wait for the correct conditions before applying anhydrous. Reports from Iowa are showing yields getting dinged by the September frost causing test weights to be off and some field edge scalding in the dry area. Ken also recaps some initial reports of yield data off plots that got harvested this week from deer repellent products to planting date, maturity groups, and row spacing plots. He also advises growers to take advantage of the dry fall and lack of wheel tracks to try no-tilling next spring to help get into fields quicker for early planted beans.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken talks bigger than expected swings in bean yields and attributes that to the maturity of the bean planted and the weather it received. He is getting a lot more reports of white mold showing up and recommends combine operators make a note for pest team for yield map review if they are seeing that show up in the grain tank. Ken also recaps yield results from the Corn College Campus teaching plots and discusses why L1 and L2 hybrids have seemed to stumble more with this year’s weather pattern.

Ken talks about the gift and the curse of the dry fall: easier harvesting without getting equipment stuck/wheel tracks, don’t have to go as deep with fall tillage to get full width shatter, and good conditions to build fall strips, but without moisture it may make fall anhydrous applications impossible to seal. He also reminds growers that they will need to have notes of weed escapes because it will take 3 years of staying on top of it to get them back under control. Ken advises harvest scouts to keep track of ear counts and locations so at yield mapping time, they can calculate bushels per ear and when finding ear mold issues moving them up the harvest list and not storing that grain at home.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken gives a harvest report of yields coming in across the state and comments that combine operators are saying the big swings in yield in a field are coming from the swings in stand throughout the field. Yields are expected to improve in corn fields as growers move to later planted corn that had less weather obstacles at the beginning of the season. The good September weather is helping gain depth of kernel which helps offset some of the tip abortion loss from earlier in the season. Ken calls combine operators to have two main things on their to-do list: calibrate their yield monitor and check for harvest loss.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers the harvest reports coming in and the highlights from his recent Iowa / Minnesota crop tour. He reports Northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota seem to be the heaviest of Tar Spot Alley this year. Several areas had a challenging July and August but a favorable September. If plants could stay healthy long enough to take advantage of September, growers might be presently surprised at harvest. Ken also encourages pest teams to watch how fields are drying down to help inform harvest order.

Ken Ferrie recaps 2,700 miles of crop touring over the last week on what he saw on the way up to Canada and coming back. He also reports April planted corn locally is hitting black layer and causing some growers to think about harvesting soon to cash in on premiums. Ken additionally comments on how corn that is stressed now, is hustling to black layer and that will come at the cost of grain fill.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers tip loss, spider mites, northern leaf blight and diseases increasing later in the season in corn fields. He also covers sightings of SDS and white mold in bean fields. Ken talks with Matt Duesterhaus to see what he has been seeing in Western Illinois.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken gives a crop report from his trip to Ohio and back and on conditions he is seeing locally. Due to the late planting and tight water margins a lot of final yield potential is riding on the last 30 days of fill and making it hard to make accurate yield estimates right now. Ken also warns about heavy spider mite pressure due to weather and spraying taking out all its natural predators and tipping the balance in the mite’s favor. As always Ken reminds growers not to walk away from a growing crop, especially this year

Most areas got at least a little rain last week, but some got too much and in some areas it came with heavy winds. While the fields that took heavy wind in June still had growing potential to lessen the effects of the goose-necking and neighboring plants in the green snap areas could adjust ear size or throw a second ear to account for additional sunlight, it is too late in the season for either of those things to do much good for the fields that got wind last week. As Ken was looking at crops that reached R3 and beyond, pollination is showing more uneven than first thought, mostly due to heat stress. In beans, he is seeing waterhemp escapes and both Japanese beetle and the stink bug invade. All this and more in this week’s Boots In The Field Report.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie tells how water in the next 60 days will tell the rest of the story, how despite being able to pollinate in 5 days the heat wreaked some havoc on even pollination, and warns about checking for spider mites in the corn before spraying a fungicide.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers how quickly pollination is going, the increasing need to spray for silk clippings, why shorter corn might be a good thing come this fall, where tar spot has been reported and why even though it is later in the calendar year than last year, why it would be considered coming in earlier in plant maturity. He advises pest bosses to be scouting low on that plant as most will be home grown and warns that we may be looking at mid to late October for harvest.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers how we are progressing compared to normal, what to look for now before the corn tassels, and reminds growers about staying on top of aphids, spider mites, and rootworm. He also warns about fields showing resistance, which areas need to be on higher alert for tar spot, and advises growers to take care of the waterhemp in beans before the seedbed gets out of control.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken touches on fields recovering from wind and hail damage, explains why L1 hybrids will take the biggest hit, and reminds growers to never walk away from a growing crop, especially this year. He also warns growers in the dry areas to stop mowing ditches and for pest scouts to be on the lookout for corn borer, western bean cutworm, rootworm, and Japanese beetles.

Ken Ferrie starts this week’s Boots In The Field Report with a fishing recap, followed by a crop report of how crops looked on the drive. He talks heat stress and what that means for these rolled up corn plants, and what pests to be on the lookout for. And despite a lot of farmers not getting into the fields to plant beans as early as they would like, he is still seeing pre-solstice flowering in several fields. Ken also puts out the call for those seeing tar spot to call the sightings into the office so we can keep tabs on it.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers nitrate levels, carbon penalty, cutworm, rootworm, and armyworm flights, and crop deficiencies showing up. He breaks down the difference in nitrogen, sulfur, and zinc deficiencies and how they present in the corn plant. Adding nitrogen to a sulfur deficiency can make the problem worse, so it is important to know which one you are facing. He also covers yellowing beans fighting the carbon penalty and why replant beans might be showing it more than older beans.

This year may go down in the books as some of the best corn stands Ken has seen, with the corn coming up in 4 days and even emergence. In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers the nitrate values coming back, indicating we are in the middle of the carbon penalty period. As the soils warm up, doubling the microbe population every 10 degrees, it creates a draw down on nitrogen supply. He warns that growers will possibly see yellow or pale green corn and even bean plants. This is a chance to evaluate your nitrogen plan for timing and see if it is working to not let your corn have a bad day. Cutting has started and with the price of corn Ken recommends moving the threshold from 3% to 1.5% on when to act. He also warns about bean leaf beetle feeding.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie reports the ground that didn’t get hoed but is struggling to get make it out of the ground might have to be hoed twice and that still might not be enough to help the plants break through the crust. Replant decisions need to be made quickly with facts and not emotion. Ken reminds growers they will need to know both stand count and ear count when factoring in if they should replant. He also advises using their own knowledge from their hybrid fix/flex plots and the hybrid yearbook to help guide what number to use for bushels per ear when penciling out replant decisions. There is a replant calculator on our website to help guide these decisions. Ken also alerts pest scouts to be on the lookout for cutworm the end of this week.

Cold wet weather has brought planting progress to a crawl. In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie warns growers about ground getting hard with recent rains causing planters to ride out of the ground and concern for crusting on crops already in the ground. He also covers how row fresheners can help with the less than desirable seed bed conditions and warns about running spring strip-till this late in the season with potential of drying out the soil and causing salt burn to the seed. Next week looks promising for planting and Ken advises growers to plant corn when they can plant corn. The loss to delaying corn planting at this late of a date far outweighs any advantage that can be gained by planting beans trying to gain an early planting advantage.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report, Ken Ferrie discusses the closing window for achieving early planted beans. While there often isn’t a yield difference between strip-till and no-till beans, this year might prove to be the exception. Strip-tilling may create a 2-3 week earlier window for planting which may allow an opportunity for some pre-solstice flowering that the no-till couldn’t take advantage of because it was too wet to plant. Ken warns to switch from beans to corn when it is fit to plant corn, but not to jump the gun because replant decisions could be more costly this year than in normal years.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken warns growers getting antsy about getting in the field to make sure the calendar, coffee shop talk, nor neighbors are the deciding factor but rather your own investigation of fields to see if they are fit. A spring compaction layer can take the top yield potential out of field before you even get the seeds in the ground. He also reminds growers that are looking at calling an audible at the line and switching crops to make sure you have evaluated the whole process before making the change.

Ken starts this Boots In The Field Report with a recap of insects to be on the lookout for and then dives in with Matt Duesterhaus, breaking down how to evaluate bean maturities for different regions and planting dates when striving for pre-solstice flowering.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie covers seed test results and what pest scouts should be on the lookout for including: 13-lined ground squirrel, voles, wireworm, cutworm, and armyworm.

In this week’s Boots In the Field Report Ken Ferrie covers rootworm resistance and how the pressure has been increasing over the last couple of years.

In this Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie stresses using this time to put thought into diversifying hybrid line up and strategizing placement of hybrids to take advantage of a field’s strengths and farm around the weaknesses.

This week in the podcast Ken takes a deep dive on what we have learned about tar spot in 2021. He covers why it was so bad in parts of the country this year, what the plot research said about timing of fungicide applications and number of applications, what to be on the lookout for in this coming year. Ken also talks about an app that can help with keeping us up to date on if conditions are right for Tar spot.

Ken uses this week’s Boots In The Field Report to cover the topic of starter fertilizer and what to consider when looking at cutting costs for next year. Ken walks through evaluating product, placement, timing, and rate to get the most bang for your starter buck.

In this week’s Boots in The Field Report Ken Ferrie breaks down planting conditions for beans in an ideal situation and how that changes when you are trying to plant early beans. The focus, when planting early beans, changes from soil temperatures to soil conditions in order to attempt to get the beans to the unifoliate stage quick enough to pressure the bean to flower before the solstice. Ken also walks through how to adjust the timing window for different maturity groups.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers some of the swings seen in the Hybrid Plot hand shelling day and warns about some of the hurdles growers new to applying fall anhydrous need to be aware of. Fall gas does NOT do well in paying the carbon penalty and Ken walks through options to help get over that hurdle.

As a lot of crews cross the harvest finish line, eyes turn towards preparation for next spring. Ken walks through considerations for growers wanting to plant early beans in 2022. As the weather locally led to a lot of wet harvesting and wheel tracks/ruts, Ken recommends trying to fix those fields this fall to make sure it doesn’t hold you back from planting early next spring. If that is not an option than rotating those to your “normal” planted bean fields and switching fields without seedbed issues to be the early planted fields. He also recommends avoiding the group 14 PPOs in early planted bean fields, staying on top of winter burn down, and having discussions with retailers and suppliers so everyone has the same game plan for being ready to plant early beans.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken answers a question that came in during Session 1 of Beyond the Basics. While soil tests can not detect if a disease is present in the field, it can give indicators to how the field will handle disease pressure. Healthy plants handle stress better than unhealthy plants and fields with adequate fertility help to create healthy plants. If a field has low potash values, acid soils, or runs out of nitrogen at grain fill, it is more susceptible to greater loss due to disease pressure. We are asking for growers to call in with the hybrids that did and did not handle tar spot well and also asking for volunteers that can help with the hand harvest project on Tuesday, December 14th.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie warns about making sure the anhydrous is sealing as it is too expensive to let gas off. He reports that some strip-till growers are struggling to get good strips in current weather conditions and advises that they might have to move to a plan B. Ken encourages keeping the seedbed sacred and he reminds growers that seedbed preparations for next year’s crop start this fall. He also extends a heartfelt thank you to all Veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice.

As growers are finally able to get back into fields locally, Ken does this week’s Boots In The Field Report from the tractor cab. Growers are doing everything they can to drag Harvest 21 across the finish line. Including cleaning out bins to dry beans, adjusting harvest order to get bean fields before the pods split open, changing heads throughout the day as to not lose an hour of harvest, and keeping their eye on their harvest loss.

After the 2-5 inches of rain Ken recommends using the floatation of your harvest equipment wisely to reduce compaction and reminds growers to keep records of the fields that are getting rutted up to make a plan to fix after harvest. In this week’s Boots In The Field Report he also advises that fields with bean pods opening move up the harvest list and shares the article https://fieldcropnews.com/2018/12/how-to-dry-soybeans-in-a-bin/ as a resource to help dry beans.

In this Boots in The Field Report Ken Ferrie covers multiple adjustments growers can make to their combine settings to reduce the record amount of harvest loss happening this year. He also advises growers to calculate in bushels what it cost to apply for removal of phosphorus and potash. The grain leaving the field is worth more and the cost to replace the nutrients leaving the field cost more. Looking at it in bushels from last year to this year can help put the cost in perspective and keep growers from putting on the brakes too soon.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie talks with Matt Duesterhaus, a Crop-Tech Consulting regional agronomist, in Quincy, IL to see how the harvest is going. Matt points out that planting date/ear count, nitrogen management, and disease management are areas that are standing out as yields roll in. He explains that yields in general are looking good for both corn and beans in his area and he will be analyzing plot data to figure out if the yield increases are enough to cover the cost of application/implementation and create a positive ROI. Ken and Matt also touch on how switching to all fall anhydrous due to current prices comes with some risks, especially for growers who don’t usually apply anhydrous.

In this Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie covers calls coming in from OH, WI, and IA about yields, moisture, and how much is left to harvest. Much of the Midwest is coming out fairly low in percent of moisture, which could help reduce some pinch points this fall. Ken also shares some plot results that came out this week, with higher populations showing an advantage in some of the disease riddled areas. He advises that in learning and remembering the past we help improve the future, but with all the pocket environments and special circumstances of this year, he warns about throwing out everything you know to switch to something you don’t, based on this one year of data.

Ken gives a harvest report as numbers continue to roll in showing some significant yield increases to fungicide in the heavy disease areas. Looking at the number of days with precipitation in the June through August time frame could help explain why we saw such heavy disease pressure show up earlier this year than it has in the past. Ken also explains what the Crop-Tech hybrid labels of G-L1-L2-D mean.

Ken gives a harvest report of yields and moistures coming in from across the state in this week’s Boots In The Field Report. He explains why the outside rows of a field could be greener and higher moisture than the rest of the field, recaps the first fix/flexed plot that has come out, and prompts farmers to continue to send in which hybrids are and are NOT withstanding the disease pressure well. Ken reminds growers how valuable the yield maps from this season will be and encourages them to calibrate their yield monitors and make sure they are checking and adjusting for harvest loss on a per field/per hybrid basis. He also advises growers to be on the lookout for beans that are early maturing and/or early planted to make sure they don’t shell out on the ground while cleaning up corn acres.

On this week's #BIFR Ken Ferrie says the wheels have come off the bus on fields with Tar Spot. The crop is falling apart and quickly dying before being able to pack on the starch. He says tar spot seems to be varying by hybrid and a Harvest Plan is a MUST!

Ken gives a crop recap from his travels through Iowa and reports on finding: white mold, Goss’s wilt, and heavy army worm pressure in this week’s Boots In The Field Report. He also warns growers that drying down in the field may not be an option for fields that fail to reach black layer due to the high disease pressure. He advises that having a harvest plan and staying on top of it will be more important than ever this fall.

Ken reports in this Boots In The Field Report about seeing anthracnose top kill, edge of field scalding, and SDS in beans. His recent trip to Ohio and Indiana indicates, while disease is high in a lot of areas, not all areas are fighting tar spot as bad as Central IL. Ken reminds growers that if fields were in the reproduction stages and hit with high stress, it will speed up the plant and shorten grain fill.

Ken recaps how the heat and water over the last couple of weeks have affected crops in central IL in this Boots In The Field Report. He informs of incoming scouting reports and advises which pests and diseases might still have value in going after and what ones may not.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie covers: Field day recap, increase in beetle pressure, why fields are turning yellow at pollination, delays in getting air planes and what are other spraying options, how the haze/smoke from last week has affected the crops and what he is seeing for pollination issues, early season wind damage, and truncated/beer can ears.

In this week’s Boot’s in The Field Report Ken covers why wet weather has hampered pollination and what pests to be on the lookout for. He also warns if growers are having to spray for rootworm beetles now, they need to note the current treatment plan didn’t work to manage the larvae and the plan needs to be adjusted for that field in the future. Ken reminds growers that a lot of the early planted beans are short and to make sure to check the growth stages for spraying, even though the rows aren’t closed some fields are have reached R3. With the excess moisture and predicted low temps next week, he advises to keep an eye on disease pressure, especially white mold, northern leaf blight, gray leaf spot and tar spot.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie covers: replant populations for weed control, where nitrates are showing the nitrogen to be after the massive amounts of water, and what insects and disease to be on the lookout for when scouting pollinating fields.

Ken covers what the massive amounts of rain in central IL means for growers and what to be on the lookout for. He uses the experiences in 2015 to give guidelines for how long the crops can survive underwater and in standing water, mapping out gulley’s while still visible, and warns about letting the ponded-out areas going to weeds. Some of the premium of early planted soybeans has been lost with this water stress and Ken advises that iron chlorosis, Rhizoctonia, Phytophthora can start to cause issues in the saturated areas. Ken also covers Nitrogen loss in corn, high risk zones, and uneven pollination.

In this week’s Boots in The Field Report Ken covers the prognosis for the corn that got blown down and beans that got hailed on in last weekend’s weather and what things to consider with the wet front moving in. While the rain should help stalled out beans and is a better option than tasseling in a drought, he warns about keeping an eye out for increased disease pressure and nitrogen loss as a result of increased water.

Ken gives a crop report from Minnesota and back, and while he might be a little biased, he indicates the best-looking crop is right here in central IL. Ken advocates for growers to take a Farm Mental Health Week and covers why some growers are seeing rootless corn at this point in the season and what will help correct it. He reminds, that while disease pressure is low, pest scouts should be doing rootworm float counts to make decisions for next year and watching the bigger non GMO corn fields for corn borer damage.

Ken Ferrie recaps the reports from the north on frost damage from the past weekend and a planting update from the Quincy area. The beans at the Corn College Campus are starting to flower and Ken warns growers with early planted beans to make sure they aren’t knocking off these early flowers with miss-timed sprays that burn back the beans. He reports on calls concerning strong reactions from post sprays due to current weather patterns, heavy cutworm feeding, and damaged fields from 13 lined ground squirrels. Ken also explains the difference between the carbon penalty and the ugly corn syndrome in this week’s Boots In The Field Report.

Ken talks with CTC agronomist Matt Duesterhaus in Quincy, Il to see how they are dealing with the 15 inches of rain they have received since planting, replant issues they have both been seeing, and how hybrid characteristics can help inform your plan for dealing with the ugly corn syndrome. They also recap what insects to be on lookout for and what the damage will look like when scouting.

Ken recaps the outcome of the service calls looking at frosted beans this week, considerations for those who replanted and those who left it, and gives a heads up to the pest teams to be scouting fields and making ear count notes now.

Ken waves the caution flag on planting after noon today (5/6) in areas that are forecasted to get lower temperatures, warning that it is setting up the perfect storm for another Mother’s Day Massacre. He also talks with Matt Duesterhaus in Quincy, Il about replant decisions they are facing and how to use the replant worksheet on the website.
This week they also warn growers with cover or high weed presence to be aware of the cutworm pressure. Scouts need to be on the lookout and not assume slow emergence is due to cold weather. Reports of seed corn maggot and bean leaf beetle have been coming in causing issues with emergence.
Ken also advises growers to pay attention to moisture when they plant and if it is a concern to shut off the in-furrow starter. He says a little attention to seedbed this year can pay big dividends.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken gives a planting progress update and warns pest teams to stay on top of the bean leaf beetle pressure. He also states the rain delay was a welcome break to take care of moisture concerns and to help diversify risk by widening the planting window. Ken also talks a little about new technology that he got to see run this week that might solve the planting spike up dilemma.

Ken advises to keep an eye out on corn following the April snow to make sure it does not leaf out under ground and to check wheat for frost damage. He also warns growers to make sure they are checking on their prepaid glyphosate order to see if the shortage will cause farmers to readjust their plans.

To plant or not to plant that is the question! Ken lays out the risks of planting next week for both corn and beans. Farmers must know the risks involved for their own farms and weight it against the advantages. Many farmers will be coming to different decisions based on their own farm situations. What is right for you may not be right for your neighbor. Finally, Ken mentions that landlords and farm managers must be on the same page!

Ken gives a report on how many growers got something planted during the shot of good weather. He also catches up with CTC Agronomist Matt Duesterhaus to see how field conditions are progressing in the western part of the state. Ken stated some growers couldn’t take advantage of the nice weather to get beans in the ground because they had to wait on a herbicide application. He advised that planning for early beans might take an adjustment in winter burn down plans. Ken also warns growers to keep an eye out for cutworm and wireworm presence

Ken walks through what to think about when considering putting early beans in the ground. He reminds growers that when making a pass in the field you only want to create a density change not a compaction layer. And he warns that while you may get away with putting in a compaction layer to plant early beans, you must assign the cost and design a plan to fix it before the next year’s corn crop.

Ken answers the question “If 2021 is a drought, do I move all my nitrogen up front?” and other concerns for mitigating weather risk in the season ahead. He also sends out a HUGE thank you to everyone who helped put in, collect, and shell the ears for the Hybrid study.

The Sins of Spring presentation has caused a lot of questions about how a tillage system with TWO compaction layers (shallow and deep) was beating one with only one deep layer and how a vertical format was beating them both by quite a margin. In this in-depth Boots In The Field Report, Ken takes time to detail which elements caused the reduction and why yield response was so strong.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers considerations when trying to pay the carbon penalty of cover crops with manure, how carbon penalties affect beans, and who should push planting windows and who can wait.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers who needs to do seed test, which lots to test and what tests to run.

Ken loves it when a plan comes together. In this week’s Boots In The Field Report he covers what operations should think through and document as part of their crop plan to have it all come together for 2021.

Ken loves it when a plan comes together. In this week’s Boots In The Field Report he covers what operations should think through and document as part of their crop plan to have it all come together for 2021.

Ken covers switching crop rotations and herbicide carry over in this week's Boots In The Field Report.

In this week’s Boots in The Field report Ken covers conversation points for a landlord and a farmer to cover before signing a lease with a fertility clause.

Making adjustments in your crop rotation due to the market? In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers things to think about when making the switch and advises to have a goal in mind when making equipment upgrades.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken shares plot data to help illustrate major factors in choosing the right nitrogen program for a field and a hybrid. He demonstrates how interconnected population and N rate should be and how hybrid characteristics play into timing and placement.

Think of reviewing your yield maps like reviewing game day footage. You have to know what went right and what went wrong in the last game if you hope to improve for the next one. Check out this week’s Boots In The Field report as Ken breaks down how to do a yield map review.

Ken warns that blanket populations across an entire farm is not how you mitigate risk. He walks through how to pick the right population per farm and per zone in this week’s Boots In The Field Report. Ken recommends starting with the usable water holding capacity of the soil under your current management practices to help set a realistic yield goal. Then he recommends looking at the hybrid flex and leaf structure to determine the right population.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers an opportunity the dry winter is offering growers to set themself up for success next season. Current abnormally dry conditions are allowing growers to get some of next spring’s leveling done this winter. Getting level this winter has the added benefit of helping to maintain uniform waterfronts to plant into, minimizes putting in wheel tracks, and protects having to risk next spring’s moisture if water is tight for planting 2021.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken talks about how to evaluate if you need to treat your beans, why early season scouting reports have value now, and he warns growers not to throw hybrids out of their line-up for next year just because of a disappointing yield in 2020.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken encourages growers to make use of the dry fall weather for field work, but warns it could create issues for applying anhydrous. He also list options for taking care of the increased weed seed from major weed escapes this year that can haunt growers for the next several years.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken sits down with Matt Duesterhaus, Crop-Tech research agronomist in Quincy, IL, to talk over how the season went in his area and some of the preliminary plot results.

In this week’s podcast Ken covers the crop report, adjusting for header loss and dives deep on results coming in from the Fixed/Flexed plots. He shares the consensus locally is that the crop looked bigger from the combine than it did in the elevator and reminds growers doing vertical tillage that they are making sure to get full width shatter, especially after this rain.

In this week's Boots in The Field Report Ken covers yield reports, including 245 bu June corn, as well as some interesting bean plot results. He also warns about watching stalk quality and increased header loss in the dry areas.

When your yield isn't where you expected it to be, take time now to figure out why. Easier to find answers now than trying to figure it out from a yield map this winter. It helps grow your crews knowledge and strengthens an operation.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers how yield and moisture are swinging within a single field in the drought stricken areas. He also describes the ideal "photo finish" we are shooting for in corn, recommends growers check harvest lost in every field, advises when to use a harvest aid, and stresses the importance for scouts to stay on top of recording things like tar spot, kernel counts and rootworm resistance even as we approach end of the season.

In this week's Boots in The Field Report Ken recaps what he saw during farm visit for growers in the path of the derecho, how to tell the difference between southern rust and common rust, why it is important to know whether it is northern leaf blight or Goss's wilt in your fields, and why you should write down your yield estimates now to check against your yield maps this fall.

In this week’s Boots in The Field Report Ken covers Bean Leaf Beetle and Aphids, reasons for dropped or tipped down ears, the importance of starting to make your harvest order now, and what you need to consider when making decisions about weed escapes for this year.

In this week's Boots in The Field Report Ken covers the status of crops across the state and what to be on the lookout for as the season heads towards the finish line. He also reminds growers of the importance of getting out into the fields and knowing their ear count.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken does a conference call with three growers in and near the storm path in Iowa to get a live update of the damage and harvest outlook.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken talks aphids, 2nd generation corn borer flights, and wind damage.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report, Ken shares yield check numbers and pollination issues he is finding during field visits due to drought and wind damage. He covers why it is important to take note of how hybrids handled the heavy wind pressure and encourages growers with the option to put up drones to check how fields survived heavy wind to make sure yield checks don’t need to be adjusted.
During field visits this week, most beans were in the R3-R5 stage. Ken warns that once most beans hit R5 they are going to stop growing. This means weeds are about to blow past the beans, especially in 30 inch rows. He reminds growers that spraying at the R5 time frame will come with a yield hit, and cautions growers to look at other options for trying to manage the weed pressure. Ken also covers the weed of volunteer corn in bean fields and what that means for growers wanting to plant non-GMO corn in those fields next year.

In this week’s podcast Ken gives a pollination report and details the difference between the April planted corn pollination window in comparison to the May planted corn. He advises growers when taking stand counts which ones they should only give half credit to get more realistic yield estimates.
Ken also urges growers to make sure they aren’t letting an opportunity to improve their operation pass them by. He is seeing a lot of wind damage, but in this podcast he outlines what that damage can tell growers about their field conditions and how they can shore it up for the future.
Ken notes that while the disease pressure is relatively light, it will continue to climb with the humidity and also gives an insect report as pressure builds.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers wind damage, non-uniform april corn, the decision between taking out the surfactants or waiting to spray and why moisture influences how we react to insect pressure.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers: brittle corn, excessive tillering, presence of cotton pith in stalks, and why corn fields might look tougher from the road. He also warns the dry areas about spider mites and suggest anybody looking at double crop beans check with their seed salesmen about the demand for seed beans.

As the season is now off and running, Ken Ferrie gives a crop report from around the Midwest.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers: carbon penalty and ugly corn syndrome, rootless corn and what you can do about it, what pest to be on the lookout for, trends he is seeing in nitrates, and reporting on early flowering beans.

Ken covers how the April planted crops are faring, warns to be on the lookout for bean leaf beetle, cutworm, and wireworm, and shares what nitrates moving to the second foot means for the carbon penalty.

Ken warns that many farmers in Central Illinois will have to make tough replant decisions this week. He advises that the decision will need to be made as soon as possible and based upon actual counts from your farm, not neighborhood consensus or emotion. He walks through what steps to take to see if you can save the current crop and how to collect the numbers to tell if replant is the right decision. If growers are without a hoe, Ken offers other options to try to help this crop out of the ground.

Ken does a special mid-week Boots In The Field Report to prepare farmers for the predicted weather this weekend. He covers why he is concerned and the possible outcomes if the forecast is correct.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken gives an update on the planting front, explains how cold soils are working in a lot of growers’ favor right now, and where to look for weak spots in your N program following heavy spring rains.

In this week’s #BIFR Ken Ferrie starts with an update on the corn and bean planting progress across central IL. Ken alerts scouts to be on the lookout for seed chilling issues, cutworms, and armyworms. He also warns them to be on the lookout for soil crusting, “Hoe Before You Know”. He ends with a warning about knowing your inhibitor!

Ken recaps the results that have been coming back on the seed test and why some are concerning. He also talks about the increased Army Worm pressure, how the wheat is surviving the cold snap, and what conditions you are looking for if you plan to plant corn next week.

This podcast is a product of all the calls asking the same question: “Can I plant corn or beans right now?” Ken gives his recommendations and outlines things to consider about planting right now.

Ken clears up some confusion on how much efficiency credit to give banded N and making sure you are thinking through your carbon load to make sure your corn doesn't have a bad day.

With wheels starting to roll on the spring 2020 season, Ken reminds growers that 80% of the compaction that causes issues comes from the 1st tillage pass in the spring. He also covers a real-life example of how the 4Rs playout when weather and conditions turn against you.

In this week's Boots in The Field Report Ken runs the number on Starter. While he shares the advantage he has seen to starter, he also cautions that you can spend yourself into a negative ROI if you aren't careful.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken advises to think the opposite when planting early season beans. Unlike normal planting, when going for early beans the key is planting longer season beans first to give them the best chance of flowering before the solstice. He also shares his concerns about spring stripping anhydrous and planting corn on top of the strip.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken tackles the topic of starter, ranging from product, placement, rate, and desired outcome.

In the first Boots In The Field Report podcast of 2020, Ken tackles the question of hybrid selection. He lays out a process for selecting the right hybrid for each specific field and advises that even though it takes time and effort, the results show up in ROI. He commends growers that are willing to change their management style to fit the selected hybrid and warns producers using only a hybrid that fits their management style will have a smaller pool of hybrids to select from. No matter the management style, Ken recommends focusing on finding the best performing hybrids first to start your selection pool and then evaluating the hybrid and farms strengths and weaknesses to ensure correct placement.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers winners of the hand-shelling day, how to overcome fallow syndrome next year, and reminds growers to check their bins and bags if they put away grain wet.

Its December, do I still need to protect my nitrogen applications?
Ken discusses the risk of nitrogen loss and when protection is required.
Ken also talks about tillage and strip till conditions, and when to tell if it is too wet to run an inline ripper.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie advises that you can't just dream of planting early beans, you have to put a plan in place to make it a reality. He walks through what conversations and plans need to be happening now. He also covers fall burn down questions and gets insights on how NE Iowa farmers are fighting to finish #harvest19

In this edition of Boots In the Field Report Ken gives the harvest report for this week as growers are dragging their operation across the finish line of #harvest19. He also previews some of the data from plots that came out this week.

In this week's Boots In The Field report Ken covers how much is left to harvest, average yields, and gas shortage concerns from our customer base and also announces the Hand Harvest and Basics Meeting Dates.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken advises, from here on out, field dry down will be "slow as molasses in January" and hopes farmers took him seriously in the June podcast that advised making backup plans for getting this year's crop dried when everyone in the Midwest is harvesting wet.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken takes a deep dive into what our soybean plots have been telling us about where yield comes from. He poses the question of can flowering before the solstice lower soybean yields?

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken talks surprising bean yields, crown rot, and advice on fall tillage as harvest rolls on.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken gives a recap of harvest from across the US and spots throughout IL. He advises to keep a close eye on harvest order and encourages growers to harvest corn while waiting for beans to be ready. To get this crop out before the winter weather, growers will have to make use of every hour they get.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken focuses on harvest loss and how to avoid it. From header loss to threshing loss, he works through suggestions to make sure you are hauling away as much of the grain as you can.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers the rainfall and yield reports coming in across the state and also issues the challenge of taking the time to calibrate yield monitors for this abnormal year to get the unique data that only unusual years like this will provide. He also covers the difference in what the recent heavy rainfall will mean for April/early May corn compared to late May/June corn.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers early harvest reports, warns about early planted fields that were not sprayed coming apart and being on the lookout for ear mold due to earworm damage. He also starts the discussion on what needs to be done this fall to reset field conditions after the sins of this past spring so that we start with our full potential for the 2020 crop.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report, Ken covers tough conditions in Ohio, his prediction on which fields won't make black layer, and warns that the size of the yield hit due to Top Kill will be determined by how close the field is to black layer. He also advises the pest team to begin doing "push tests" on stalks for stand-ability to start creating a field harvest order and not to solely rely on planting date or moisture to set that order.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers the need for sunshine and encourages pest teams to watch how their soybean fields are turning, indicating that if it is turning unevenly then there is a need to figure out why. He also reports on increased Goss's wilt, Tar Spot and Anthracnose sightings. Ken had a chance to talk with Adam Spelhaug from Peterson Farms Seed in North Dakota to see how crops are shaping up in their area.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers tar spot movement, an increase of Northern Leaf Blight and Common Rust showing up, and reports of tip and ear mold present. He shares some positive news on the corn aphid front but warns about keeping an eye out for them in the beans and watching the early planted beans for sudden death. Ken also talks with a grower from North East Iowa to recap the growing season and current crop conditions.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken recaps his farm visits this week from the Blue Mound area all the way up to Canada. Ken covers what the pest bosses need to be on the lookout for and what the crop conditions and outlooks are in Canada.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers how this crop is shaping up in comparison to last year, tips for doing your own yield estimates, and a warning about the exploding aphid populations. He also covers the nitrogen deficiencies he is seeing in corn and the stink bugs sightings in beans.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers increased aphid pressures in June planted corn, the importance of knowing where your physoderma brown spot fields are for harvest order, if your rootworm pressure is getting around your traits for next year's corn on corn fields and what we need to finish off these bean fields.

Things look better from the road, but we are not out of the woods yet. Ken provides a regional crop report and talks pollination issues and disease levels he has witnessed from the fields he has been in this week, and what to look for in corn and bean fields in the coming weeks. Proper nitrogen management is becoming very evident from the air, don't assume all is well in fields with all nitrogen applied up front, even if it was applied late this spring, scout to ensure there are no surprises come fall.

In this week's Boots In The Field report Ken recaps the round robin crop report from the field day, what the pest team should be on the lookout for and what the hot weather is doing to our corn.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers growth stage progress, insects and diseases to be on the lookout for, and what this weed pressure will mean for next year.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken warns not to let looks fool you when comparing early planted corn and the June planted corn. While the early corn has height, most of it is lacking in evenness, Ken covers what that means for pest bosses. He also explains what fallow syndrome is and what we can do this year and next to combat it on prevent plant acres.

Ken touches on a lot of topics in this week's Boots In The Field Report. He starts with a report on percent planted, then covers keeping fields clean, row crop cultivating, rootworm floats, and the effect of heat on this short corn.

Ken gives a crop report from IL to Canada and recommends getting plans in place now for a wet harvest to get yourself in a good position come fall.

Ken talks weeds in prevent plant fields, stand evaluation and replant in marginal fields, and sightings of yellow corn and beans in this week's Boots In The Field Report.

Ken hits on a lot of topics in this week's Boots In The Field Report but the main focus is not throwing in the towel too soon. There is a lot of growing season left and farmers need to bring their A-game. He talks what to do with population for both corn and beans in late planting, how it affects our nitrogen program, and insect windows.

Ken focuses on two things in this week's Boots In The Field Report:

In the scramble to get this crop in, don't drop the ball on fields that did get planted. Never walk away from a growing crop.
Farmers have some tough decisions to make, but they need to be made based upon facts and not emotion and on a field by field basis.

Once farmers get this crop in the ground, they will have to use all of their resources to hang onto their yield all the way to the finish line. Ken talks about #plant19 and how later planting affects the need for starter and insecticide in this week's Boots In The Field Report.

When is it time to start thinking about changing maturities? Ken takes an in-depth look at the numbers behind making changes to what day hybrid you plant and the season long implications this decision will have. Ken helps to remove some of the emotion and stress of passing calendar days with a focus on how to make plans to capture as much yield as possible with the growing season we have left.

Ken talks weather delays and the importance of not letting your fertilizer plans delay your planting window in this week’s Boots In The Field Report. He also covers what to look for in compaction culprits and which environments need to wait and which ones can move ahead.

This week's Boots In The Field Report is all about planter set-up. Working from the front to the back, where to check for issues before you head to the field.

Ken covers what he has been seeing this week as he drives fields with farmers. This week's report covers: filling in ruts, anhydrous application train-wrecks, and plan adjustments based on the weather pattern.

This week on the Boots In The Field Report Ken covers what questions to consider when trying to reduce your pesticide bills.

In response to the large number of questions coming in this week on this very topic, Ken talks about options for fixing ruts and erosion in no till and reduced till environment

Didn't get your fall nitrogen on? Ken talks nitrogen options for this spring and touches on the risk of late spring NH3.

This week Ken tackles the difference in zone vs grid soil testing. Today's technology is ever increasing, in the amount and accuracy of data layers farmer have access to when making management decisions. Variability within the field can accurately be mapped and a proper soil testing program should respect and incorporate this variability, something simple grid soil testing fails to do.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken tackles the question of seed quality and how that can affect your plans for early planted beans.

As planting season fast approaches, Ken tackles a question he has gotten a lot this winter: Is my current nitrogen management program adequately address the carbon penalty. Ken also discuss the ever present debate of what the best source of nitrogen is. He works through the questions that can bring you to the right answer specific to this year and for your farming environment.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers the new things the crew took in while down at the 2019 National Farm Machinery Show.

Ken takes the time during this week's Boots In The Field Report to discuss why hybrid characteristics is such a focus for Crop-Tech and the reaction to the information while presenting out on the road.

This week Ken covers the complexity behind a sound nitrogen recommendation with an update from what’s happening in the Lake Erie Watershed.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report, Ken talks about the positive aspects of this recent cold snap. He encourages growers to check out their inefficiencies of the past year and make corrections for the coming season!

Ken reports from Canada in this week's Boots In the Field Report. He covers how no matter what day corn you plant, knowing your hybrid characteristics will be to your benefit. Start with the field first, know its strengths and weaknesses and then pick a hybrid that takes advantages of the strengths and then farm around the weaknesses.

Ken talks about taking your yield map meeting to the next level. This week he goes over what growers are bringing to the table in his most productive meetings and tips for getting the most out of the session.

While it is still fresh in your mind Ken recommends a thorough evaluation of your operation's harvest plan. He discusses what he sees as key factors of success in getting the crop out in a timely manner in operations he works with. He suggests some options to help operations that are struggling and reminds farmers their harvest capacity is only as large as their weakest link allows.

Ken tackles the issue with removal rate minimum clauses and clarifies what your soil test is telling you in The Question of the Week. Also Crop-Tech Crew would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Holidays!

We make the switch to Question of The Week and this week Ken tackles all things Sulfur. He goes over products, placement, timing and risk to help farmers choose the best options for their operation.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken covers why you might see more brown silk spraying next year and what your options are for getting anhydrous on for next year.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken answers the question of missing the fall burn down window and shares some early results from the hand harvest.

Ken starts this week's Boots In The Field Report with the crop report as harvest winds down and then he spends some time on working through the thought process of what to plant next year and what switching rotations can mean for your yield.

In this weeks Boots In The Field Report Ken covers what he is hearing about rootworm pressure in down corn and why some people aren't aware of it until now, the Dicamba Label new restrictions with extension, and max temperatures for most of the state still too high to apply anhydrous.

Ken reports beans are coming out in a hurry in northeast Iowa, gives encouragement for finishing strong even if you have to put your header down, and reminds farmers to make sure they are getting full width shatter in their tillage passes

Stalk quality, green stems, and harvest lists dominate this week's Boots In The Field Report.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken gives the run down of harvest progress in parts of IL, IA, and OH. He also calls the pest team back into action and gives tips for making sure we don't leave yield in the field in a rush to be done with #Havest18.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report, Ken gives harvest yield updates, and gives warning about staying on top of harvest loss. Ken discusses some results from plots that have already been harvested this year.

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken gives the crop report, covers what farmers will need to do to manage the leftovers of this big bean crop, and what data we can collect now to help make more informed hybrid decisions in the future.

In this weeks Boots In The Field Report Ken covers the yields and moisture reports coming in from harvest across the state. He offers encouraging news for those in the tougher areas that good calibrated maps from those fields can be an excellent resource moving forward for creating management zones. Ken also covers why the outside of your bean fields may be behind in maturity and warns of the need for making adjustments from day to day to keep header loss to a minimum. He also covers corn borer damage and Tar spot reports.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers moisture and yield reports being called in throughout the state and shares issues with stink bugs and ear-worms being found.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken gives his traveling crop report as he visits Iowa and Minnesota and reports on white mold and sudden death pressure in the beans and what the intense rain means for their corn crop.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken starts talking about making plans for Harvest. He advises the pest team on what to watch out for as the season comes to a close and to switch their main focus to checking for stand ability and making harvest priority lists. Ken also recommends making plans now for harvest storage to avoid bottlenecks later.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken has his eyes on harvest. He shares yield check numbers for this week and what a difference a rain can make. He also advises the pest team what to be on the lookout for to make sure this crop finishes strong.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken details what he has been seeing on farm visits. He covers how the dry area is getting bigger, what a tip down in ears can mean, and the increase of SDS in April planted untreated beans. Ken also warns what lodging in soybeans will mean for yield, how fields are going to get dirty fast, and keeping an eye out for spider mites. He advises farmers to use these perfect conditions for Gray Leaf to calibrate your GLS ratings on your hybrids between companies.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken shares that he has spotted: sudden death, pompous root rot, Stewart’s wilt, aphid colonies in the corn, and gray leaf spot. He talks about his concern of what could take the top off this corn crop and what we need to finish out the season strong.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers what the concern is with tall beans and cool nights and gives an insect report for the pest teams. Ken also recaps the field day and looks ahead to Corn and Soybean College next week.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers a host of pests including: Gray Leaf, Northern Leaf Blight, Brown Spot, Corn Aphids, Japanese Beatles, Western Bean Cutworm, and Rootworm. He also recaps how pollination is going, Being ahead on GDUs and what the As Applied Downforce maps are telling us.

Ken talks about the current crop conditions he is seeing in the field. Many plants have pollinated two ears, is this actually a good thing? He also gives a scouting report of what he has seen including disease, Japanese beetles, rootworm in traited corn, and nutrient deficiencies.

The pollination window is here. What to watch for in the way of insects and disease as we move forward in both corn and beans. Don’t let defoliation, silk clipping, disease, or rootworm damage catch you by surprise as we are seeing a little bit of everything in our travels across the state. Yield potential is still high in most areas, don’t drop the ball in this crucial part of the season.

Ken is back and covers the gamut in this week’s Boots In the Field Report. He touches on: doing rootworm floats, checking now for grey leaf to make harvest order lists for later, what happens if the wet conditions continue, pulling nitrates for y-dropping, what diseases to be looking for in beans and why it is good they are dying now, what it means if you have yellow beans and what will change it, Atrazine carryover and drift issues, and warnings about making sure you aren’t sleeping on pollination.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report, Ken covers why the much needed rains have also caused some issues, the need for being aware if you have any green snap damage, and what to do about taking care of weeds in fields with flowering beans.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers how the conditions in the field now will be indicative of how they will pollinate later and what that means for your crop. He also issues a warning to dry areas to watch out for spider mites at the borders.

Ken went on several SOS calls for fields this week which led to a lot of things to cover in this week’s podcast, prepare yourself. In this week’s Boots In The Field report Ken covers: Iron chlorosis in areas that got rain, growth standing still and slowed down metabolism in dry areas, and the catch 22 of dinging corn or killing weeds. Ken also spends a lot of time in this podcast discussing what your options are if you have bean fields that got planted in dry dirt.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken announces the kick off of ugly corn week for a lot of folks. He covers who is most likely to see this and what some of the causes are. Ken discusses rootless corn and what dry weather has to do with a lot of the issues you might be seeing in your field like sulfur deficiency and bird damage.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers what a difference 350 miles makes in planting progress. He touches on the need for pest teams to be hitting the fields to spot issues before they get worse and document what happened while the evidence is still there to tell you. Ken also shares times that will most likely have high cutworm pressure and advises to be on the lookout for bean leaf beetle. He also touches on getting either an NDVI or Thermal image on fields that will have windmill damage both this year and next year to better help keep track of damages. Ken introduces the addition of a soil moisture sensor offer to both irrigation customers and those with tile gates.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers what to look for in corn, beans, and wheat when checking for freeze damage, why fields planted into dry soil are the worst service calls to go on and what changes to make to your planter to get back in the field before we lose this recent moisture.

Ken covers a lot in this week’s Boots In The Field Report including: night time temperatures, what to watch with spring anhydrous, when to shut off your in-furrow starter, and how you can lose too much moisture with your spring tillage.

Ken has been getting calls left and right asking “Can we go yet? Can we go yet?.” He tackles that question in this week’s Boots In The Field Report. He also covers what conditions we are waiting for and why early planted beans are no longer an option.

Kens three tips for this week: take a chill pill, be ready to go when it is fit, and do not give up your chance to grow the best crop ever in your career.

Drought 2018? This week Ken talks about the importance of weather proofing your management system!

This week Ken covers fertilizer burn in sprayer tracks in wheat fields. He walks through why it is showing up and the effects of it.

This week Ken covers what the February rainfall means for our nitrogen program.

Prepare yourself, this week’s “Question of the Week” is long and detailed. Ken dives in deep answering the questions of how you can mitigate risk using hybrid/variety characteristics. He walks through matching up population and leaf structure with weather patterns and soil types. Ken also covers limitations to mixing hybrids to mitigate risk and what obstacles make it inadvisable to mix hybrid in the box or by row.

If you are a Crop-Tech Customer and need a copy of the Seed Pod 1 page recap please email us for a copy.

Ken answers the question of the week: Things to consider if converting coulters on your sidedress bar to Y-drops.

Ken talks about early soybean planting, the risks of SDS, and seed treatment effectiveness.

Ken got to take part in an eye-opening experience visiting with the Maryland Department of Ag and seeing how the act of farming changes under a blanket of regulations. In this week’s episode he shares what he gained from the enlightening weekend.

For this week’s “Question of the Week” Ken tackles the subject of sulfur: Is it needed, when to apply, how much to apply, and how to apply it?

Ken kicks off “Question of the Week” with: Do fungicide applications still pay in $3.50 corn?

All the plots have finally been harvested!! A big thanks to all involved in our and handshelling day, and some general housekeeping notes for the weeks ahead.

Ken gives a reminder of the events coming up from now until the end of the year and sends out a plea for help with the hand harvesting day.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken gives out the latest numbers rolling in for percent harvested and covers the quandary of letting it dry in the field vs paying for drying this time of year. He also cautions against throwing out proven hybrids based on this year’s weather conditions and making sure you are sealing when applying anhydrous.

Ken starts this week’s Boots In The Field Report off with a plot harvest update and sends out a BIG thank you to all the farmers and plot partners that put time and resources into making the plots such a successful program for all to learn from. He also extends a reminder about getting yield data in ASAP so we can start processing it. Ken looks at the weather data from Nov. 8th showing that some parts of the state finally hit the mark for being able to apply anhydrous using the 4R standards. Ken also talks about the video released today on setting your hybrid chisel.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report, Ken starts with a crop report, then touches on elevator slowdowns, crown rot, and ear droppage. He gives a warning about getting caught up with harvesting down fields, instead of moving on and catching your other fields before they go down. Ken finishes up the report discussing the missing spots in beans and how to handle the increase in vole populations.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken gives a harvest update and a comparison to where we were at this time last year. He also touches on planting date studies in beans, standability, dropped ears due to corn borer damage, fall burn down, farmable waterways and tillage considerations.

Ken discusses recent yield results including replant areas.
Kens also covers in-depth some considerations when contemplating beans on beans including: fertility, disease, seed treatments, nematodes and more.

Ken looks into yield data that shows just how close some fields got to giving up parts of this years crop due to drought stress. He also discusses the replant numbers that are coming in, as well as some advice about on-farm storage use. Ken issues a warning about crown rot, already present in a lot of fields, will become more of an issue moving forward after receiving all the moisture this week. Ken ends the report by stressing the importance of staying on top of changing field conditions in both corn and beans to minimize any harvest loss.

Ken relays what growers across our growing area are projecting for how far along harvest is in their area. He also gives some yield results for fields that had shown Dicamba damage this year as well as a word of caution on yield monitor results when going through tougher cutting spots in beans. Ken also warns about slowing down the combine to minimize harvest loss and an increase in rootworm pressure. His final piece of advice is to not to take the current standability for granted and keep an eye on how your fields are faring.

Ken starts with the weekly crop report and then moves into two issues farmers have been calling in: shortened husks and twisted/down corn.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report, Ken relays the numbers coming in from farmers who have started harvest. He also describes some of the different bugs that will be hitting the combine windshield and which ones we need to pay attention to. He touches on what these recent rains mean for cover crop establishment, and explains why we need orders in ASAP for any growers needing fall testing done. Finally he advises farmers in our plot program that need help harvesting, what kind of lead time CTC needs.

Ken discusses the variable yields being reported across our customer base, and gives a warning about sudden death and aphids.

Yields slipped a little this week. In this week's Boot’s In The Field Report Ken explains what he saw this week that brought on that conclusion. He covers sudden death, ear mold, aspergillus, crown rot, top kill, and uneven turning of fields. Now is the time to make notes of what is happening in the field while the evidence is still there to tell the story.

Ken covers what he has been seeing this past week as he tours farms from the field and from the air in this week’s Boots In The Field Report. Ken warns to be on the lookout for Southern Rust and Soybean aphids and invites clients to attend the Yield Monitor Clinic this Thursday, September 7th at the Crop-Tech Office.

In this Boots In The Field Report, Ken covers what he has been seeing this week as he goes on farm visits. It includes: corn fields that won’t black layer, beans that are dying, what will and won't be helped with some rain, increased rootworm pressure in the south, using your imagery to discuss with landlords the state of your crops, and how field edge scorching can be confused with drift damage.

Ken reports what he has seen in his travels through IN and OH as well as his field visit in central IL. In this week’s Boots In The Field Report he covers: spider mite pressure, how to calculate the percent reduction in your soybean yields from white mold, what weed escapes he has been seeing, why diplodia is showing up on second ears and what that means for harvest precautions.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers what he has been seeing as he does field visits throughout IL and IA. He walks through our ET and GDU rates as compared to last year. Ken also touches on: dicamba drift issues, rust and gray leaf in corn, and what we need to finish off this soybean crop.

Ken catches up on information in this week’s Boots In The Field Report. He gives a crop report from the groups that went through our site in the last two weeks and covers what issues he is seeing while out doing farm visits. Ken covers: spider mites in corn, what pollination troubles he has been seeing like throwing the tips and also advises what to be on the lookout for if these fall like temperatures are here to stay.

Ken covers the gamut in this week’s Boots In The Field Report including Rootworm and Japanese Beetles, Aphids, fungicide, low growth concerns, and spot checking your nitrogen program.

Ken gives tips for the Pest Boss in your operation in today’s Boots In The Field Report. He covers when you need to be scouting and what you need to be scouting for, including Western Bean Cutworm and Aphids. Ken also encourages you to stop mowing and to make sure you are scouting before spraying fungicides. He also tackles what short beans and short corn will mean come harvest and what he is seeing out in the fields for disease pressure.

Ken talks moisture, ear counts, and Japanese Beetle feeding in this week’s Boots In The Field Report.

Ken has some catching up to do after being gone fishing. He covers it all in this week’s Boots in the Field Report. He starts with an area wide crop report and then moves into drift issues we have been seeing. He also covers stand counts and yield estimates as we to start to look towards the finish line.

In this week’s #BIFR Ken spends time discussing your options for Rootless Corn, and Holcus Spot. It is also time to get out your Corn Borer traps!

In this week's Boots In The Field Report Ken gives a multi-state crop and scouting report, and warns of Armyworms, Nitrogen Penalty, and Drift Issues.

Ken walks through how much new growth is needed for beat up plants before post spraying and why you can expect to see more crazy top this summer. He also walks through what he is seeing from the nitrate perspective and his prediction that we will be into Ugly Corn Week next week.

Get a cup of coffee, because Ken has a lot to say in this week’s Boots In The Field Report. Ken talks about the death certificates he gave out this week for Flooding, Washouts, Severe Crusting, Herbicide Damage, Pests, and Sandblasting. He also talks about steps to take when considering a replant. He also talks about soil erosion and soil conservation.

Ken spent the day driving around to corn fields to see how they were fairing. Check out this week’s Boots In The Field Report as Ken covers what he saw.

Ken does a recap of where the water fell and what the current conditions are for most of the state of IL. He also offers what kind of weather conditions can help and hurt us to get this crop out of the ground. He walks through the items to think about when considering replanting and what to expect out of beans that are already planted.

Ken outlines some things to think about during this rain delay in this week’s Boots In The Field Report.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers: seed chilling in beans, what he means by teaching the planter to dance, and current insect sightings.

Ken covers planting temps, seed chilling, cutworm flights, insecticide applications, the bean leaf beetle, and reiterates the importance of tillage passes being done now.

Ken covers what the water means for this growing season, what we need to think about to get ready for spring, the importance of patience, and goes over what we will be covering at Farm Journal Corn and Bean College 2017.

This week Ken gives an insect report for the 2017 growing season and recaps how the mild winter will play into insect pressure.

Listen for Ken's answer to this week's question, how low can we go in soybean populations?

Which is better ESN or Sidedressing? Listen to this week's Boots In The Field Report for Ken's answer.

Is your seed passing the grade? Ken talks the importance of seed grading in this week’s Boots In The Field Report.

This weeks question is about reducing seed expenses.

70° in February, to till or not to till, that is the question answered in this week's Boots In The Field Report!

In this week's Boots In The Field Report, Ken dissects the strengths and weaknesses of the FurrowJet.

In this week's podcast, Ken discusses if it is too late for tillage and fall burn down?

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers what to do if you didn’t get your fall anhydrous on and what to consider when making spring anhydrous decisions. He also comments on the war on weeds and what we need to start planning for this winter to win the battle next growing season. Ken reminds growers that we will be having our Basic and Advanced Basic meetings next Wednesday and Thursday.

This week in the Boots In The Field Report Ken covers several topics. He touches on plot wrap up, when you can harrow after fall burndown, what we learned from August weather, and the major no-no of fall stripping 28%.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers his thoughts on fall burn down. He also shares the responses he has received from last week’s #AnhydrousWatch2016 and what the guidelines are for when is the right time to apply anhydrous. He also shares the date for this year’s Hand Harvest date. We need all hands on deck to help us count, weigh, and handshell all the ears for the Fix vs Flex data on different hybrids. If you are interested, please contact the office.

In this week’s Boots in the Field report Ken gives a report as areas are finishing up harvest 2016. He reminders farmers of a couple of things to think about before making plans to move lime applications up a year. Ken also issues a challenge that we are all in this together and we need to apply a little peer pressure if you notice neighbors and retailers failing to follow best management practices where anhydrous is concerned. Ken shares that a good portion of new acres coming in to test are showing pretty poor on their soil test results and reiterates looking at past soil test and yield maps before negotiating rent prices.

Listen this week to the Boots in the Field Report as Ken covers what he found from the inquiry into the sudden drop in bean yields and what to do about it next year. He reminds anyone dealing with ruts that we want to get those taken care of this year and not wait until next spring. He also reiterates his warning about waiting for the right temperature for anhydrous applications.

Ken gives a harvest update, breaks down what he thinks is the cause for the drop in bean yields and taking a harvest by the hour approach, and reminds farmers to wait until soil temps have dropped before applying anhydrous ammonia.

In this week’s harvest report Ken covers that tough cutting beans seem to be the story everywhere. He also shares information on what green stem syndrome is and what it looks like in the field. Ken also reminds farmers to continually check for header loss and as they move into tillage make sure they are getting full shatter.

Ken touches on the flooding up north in this week’s harvest report as well as the pattern his is seeing with April planted beans. Harvest numbers coming in are showing the importance of knowing if a hybrid is a fix or flex when making replant decisions and that bigger beans and more pods don’t always mean more yield. Ken mentions the high disease pressure showing up in beans fields and what that means for decisions on crop rotation and asks farmers who are seeing a lot of ear droppage to email into the office with the field and hybrid so we can try to track down any patterns. Ken also reminds farmers that with an increase in yield comes an increase in nutrient uptake, something to keep in mind when considering fertilizer decisions.

Ken gives an updated harvest report and touches on: stalk quality and how it is holding up, watching header loss, a charcoal rot look alike, and some of the data coming out of plots harvested.

Ken gives an update on what has been called in for yield reports in our testing area. Strong yields in both corn and beans coming in, but for most areas still 10-20 bushel less for farm averages than they saw in 2014. Also getting some reports of 4-16% damage on corn, mainly from diplodia. Ken also reminds farmers that along with this nice warm weather we have had his week, it brings along some concerns: Make sure you’re calibrating every time you drop 5 points or more in moisture in yield monitors that use multi point calibration. Also watching for shatter loss, adjusting to each field’s environment, shooting for 2% or less loss in corn and 3% or less in beans. Ken also gives some advice on storing hot beans and making a harvest storage plan. He reports some plot yields coming in and reminds everyone to communicate with the office about fields ready to test and plots that need to come out.

Ken gives a harvest update for central IL and explains the barren stalk occurrence he has been seeing. He advises farmers to take note of final ear counts and shoot for only a 6% drop from planted population and to pay attention to stalk quality as it is falling apart rapidly. He also reminds everyone to call into the office with a heads up on plots ready to harvest and fields ready to test.

In this week’s Boots in The Field Report Ken gives a harvest report of yield and moisture as they are being called in. Ken warns about your diplodia ear rot fields, mixing or drying them before going to town could cause more of a dock. He has also had reports of quarries starting to run out of lime or long lines, so make sure you have inquired about your fall lime needs. And he reminds everyone to communicate with the office if you need to order a field for fall testing or schedule a plot to be harvested.

Ken gives some tips for prioritizing your fields for harvest order. A lot of growers are planning on starting harvest this week to get some of the fields that have started falling apart and have standability issues. Ken also recommends checking to see if corn borers have started to weaken the shanks causing ears to fall on the ground. He also talks about taking the time to ground truth aerial images to help understand what is going on in the field and what that will mean for next year’s hybrid selection. Hit a yield checking high in a field in IA, 299 is the number to beat.

In this week’s Boots in The Field report Ken gives a crop report from Iowa and Northern Illinois. Ken also covers how crucial sunshine is to finish out this season, how important timing will be for harvest aids used to help harvest bean fields with heavy waterhemp pressure, and gives an update on aphid pressure. He also reminds those doing fix/flex plotS to stop by the office for supplies and those needing fields testing this fall to send in their orders.

Ken covers a lot in this week’s Boots In The Field Report. He starts off with a crop report from his recent travels and then moves on to the biggest concerns for finishing off the 2016 crop. The recent weather pattern has raised some serious disease concerns along with insect concerns. Ken’s assessment is that a big crop could be out there but it needs to be reality checked with boots in the field scouting and the right weather to finish it off.

This week’s Boots in The Field Report is done by Isaac Ferrie. He starts the podcast giving an update on the bean growth stages and what to be scouting. He also mentions to be on the lookout for SDS and White Mold spots in the field, to avoid surprises later in the season. Isaac also gives some tips on what to be scouting for in both weeds and insects. Isaac also gives a warning about tip back in corn, as well as some application advice.

Ken starts this week with a crop update from around the Midwest. He discusses the ear fill damage that will accompany the green snap he is seeing in some fields. Ken also gives an update on corn and soybean aphids and explains the reduced risk for spider mites. Finally, Ken discusses the sudden death and gray leaf that he is finding in fields.

Ken got a bird’s eye view this week to make his crop report and the crop is looking better than expected. The sins of spring are definitely evident, but the July 4th rain was a grain maker. Ken talks spider mites, western bean cutworm, bean leaf beetle, aphids, disease pressure, northern leaf blight, and getting a handle on waterhemp.

Spider Mite Update: Ken has officially seen Spider Mites in fields around Tazewell, Mclean, and Springfield areas. The dry and hot temperatures have led to a decrease in the Spider Mite’s natural predators and fungi. Ken covers how to scout, and gives an approach to treat the Spider Mites. Ken also gives a pollination and disease update.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report, Ken gives a corn and soybean growth update, and a weather update. Ken also covers some options when dealing with resilient waterhemp. Ken ends the podcast with an insect and weed update.

Ken covers a lot in this week’s Boots In The Field Report. Ken discusses the current ugly phase that corn is in, and that soybeans are about to be in. Ken also helps identify the difference between the zinc and sulfur deficiencies. On the insect front, Ken warns about cutworm, corn borer, and the corn rootworm hatch. Ken also gave a warning about the roundup resistant waterhemp that is not being completely killed off. Finally, Ken reassures farmers about the heat that is coming for central Illinois.

In this week’s Boots In the field report Ken walks you through how to tell the difference between Zinc and Sulfur deficiency and what you can do about both of them. Ken also shares some reminders about pulling nitrates and looking at your aerial imagery.

Ken does a Boots in the Field Report about replanting, the impact of hoeing, and a recap of what he is seeing in nitrate numbers. He also gives a heads up that the “ugly corn” phase should be kicking off this weekend

Ken gives a recap of planting progress across our testing area in Illinois. He has received a lot of calls concerning this weekend’s frost and covers what that means for both corn and beans. Ken talks about the added dangers of frosted crops in saturated soil and cautions against applying your post herbicide on newly frosted corn. Ken explains how making the planter dance can help you get in to plant beans, what he is seeing from the nitrates already sent in, and the need to get any summer soil testing orders in.

Ken discusses cutworm, cold weather, wheat disease, nitrates, and what to expect in the coming weeks.

In this Boots in the Field Report Ken talks about what to be on the lookout for due to the Central IL weather patterns. He covers: Seed chilling, planting in dry soils, starter burn, cutworm and armyworm feeding, and crusting on your bean fields.

Ken discusses the weather and the opportune rain delay. He also covers the difference between Nitrification and Urease Inhibitors. Ken shares the latest Black Cutworm reports.

Ken covers the major things to consider when trying to figure out when to start planting in Central Illinois and other topics you need to be thinking about for the start of the 2016 growing season.

Ken gives his last Boots in the Field Report of 2015. He recaps the hand shelling day and gives advice for those that have fields that missed the tillage window. Look out in December/January for the return of Technology Tuesday and Agronomy Thursday.

Patience is key in making sure you aren’t pulling tillage tools out of the ground to get traction and not jumping the gun on getting your anhydrous on. Ken also talks about thresholds for fall burndown in this week’s Boots in the Field report. We are looking for volunteers on Thursday, Nov 12th. to help with the hand harvesting plot.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report, Isaac covers a few timely reminders as we finish the harvest. Including weather, tillage, inhibitors, and weed management.

Ken gives a teaser on some data that came out of the plots this week as well as advice on getting tillage done in dry soil.

Ken reminds us about the importance of full shatter in this week’s Boots in the Field report. While the nice weather is allowing us to get our tillage done, it is calling for more horsepower in our tillage to get complete shatter in the dry ground. Ken also reminds us to make sure we aren’t letting the wear and tear of harvest lead to preventable accidents.

This week Ken talks about doing seedbed preparations while the weather is cooperating. He discusses perfect fall weather and shares strip-till and vertical tillage tips. Ken also gives an update on what he is seeing in the fungicide and nitrogen plots in Il.

Ken gives advice on how to finish 2015 strong. He wants to make sure farmers aren't leaving money in the field with high harvest loss and to be on the lookout for strong presence of diseases such as Tar Spot in corn and Rust in soybeans. He also talks options for tracks left from a wet growing season.

Ken talks about not throwing the baby out with the bathwater when making decisions for next year based on harvest 2015. Due to wild swings in rainfall and temperature it is important to look at all factors when evaluating a particular practice, product, or hybrid.

Ken gives a yield report as people call in yield averages, indicating the crop is bigger than he expected. Ken also covers things to think about when making your harvest plan and what to do about the weed escapes this fall.

Ken reports on yields coming in and gives some advice on creating a harvesting plan. He also stresses the importance of calibrating your yield monitor to make sure we are getting all the information we can use to improve the farming operation moving forward.

In this week's Boots in the Field Report Ken covers crops from Illinois to Iowa with a focus on how to deal with these bean fields. With harvest getting a start Ken talks about what farmers might have to do to get this bean crop harvested and the need to do push tests in corn fields to make sure you are harvesting fields in the right order.

The nice weather predicted for central Illinois next week means big changes ahead for crop conditions. Listen to this week’s Boots in the Field Report as Ken describes what to expect in the coming weeks and does a crop report of Ohio and Indiana.

In this week’s episode of Boots In The Field Report, Ken gives a crop report on his travels from New York to Alabama. Ken also discusses what he thinks that farmers need to be on the lookout for, which includes the real threat of aphids, warning everyone to be vigilant when scouting soybean fields.

In Central Illinois we have managed to get back to back weeks of good growing weather. In this week's Boots in the Field Report Ken discusses what factors are holding this crop back. Some of the factors playing a big role in keeping us from reaching last year's record breaking yields include ear length and girth, ear count, and tip abortion for corn and clover worms, white mold, and sudden death for soybeans.

While the wether was good this week, Ken talks about some of the issues we are facing in our corn and bean crops in Central Illinois. This week’s Boots In The Field Report will cover white mold, SDS, frog eye, and insect damage in our soybeans. In the corn fields Ken covers dealing with poor pollination, stronger disease pressure, and something making a big impact, Nitrogen levels.

This week’s Boots In The Field Report is packed with information on timely topics for the 2015 crop in Central Illinois. Some of the hot topics Ken covers includes: the current pollination state, pollination issues with insects and hybrids, corn disease showing in area fields, white mold issues, a sudden death update, a breakdown of the pros and cons of late application, and a warning about weeds.

It is too soon to give up on this year's crop. Listen as Ken goes through what we need to do to keep this crop afloat.

This week Isaac Ferrie tackles the topic of adjusting Nitrogen programs after all the rain. He stresses the importance of oxygen in the root zone and the key role nitrates play in making sure you have enough Nitrogen in the tank to finish out the crop. Isaac also walks through things to consider when deciding on aerial application.

The week’s Boots in the Field Report covers: hatching and scouting of Rootworms and Corn Borer, pushing soybean planting populations due to the rain delays, and the importance of keeping on top of nitrate levels!

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report, Ken talks about how the plots are coming along, insect watch for Cutworm and Army worm, replanting and growth delay, and finally watching out for the carbon penalty.

This week’s Boots In The Field Report, Ken discusses soil testing corn on corn and some interesting plot results regarding fix and flex ears.

In this week’s Boots In the Field Report, Crop-Tech Consulting agronomist Ken Ferrie talks about getting started with anhydrous applications.

In this week’s episode of Boots In The Field, Crop-Tech Consulting agronomist, Ken Ferrie talks about managing ruts and replacing wheat with a cover crop.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report, Ken talks about planting wheat, and strip-till concerns.

In this weeks Boots In The Field Report, agronomist Ken Ferrie discusses how Goss's Wilt is starting to really hit some fields. Ken also talks about how leaf structures are making differences in the plots.

In the weeks report Crop-Tech Consulting agronomist Ken Ferrie discusses the importance of keeping an eye on harvest lost and staying ahead of down corn.

Ken Ferrie talks about the soybean harvest and the drop in corn moisture levels.

Crop-Tech Consulting agronomist, Ken Ferrie, gives the Boots In The Field Report for the Week of September 12th.

Crop-Tech Consulting agronomist Ken Ferrie discusses the conditions he observed in Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, and Illinois. He also comments on finding sudden death, stalk quality issues, harvesting issues, and heat stress

Crop-Tech Agronomist Ken Ferrie discusses crop conditions and outlook on his trip form Illinois to New York.

Crop-Tech Consulting agronomist Ken Ferrie shares an update on what he is seeing out in the field.

Crop-Tech Consulting agronomist Ken Ferrie shares an crop update on what he is seeing out in the corn field at the end of July.