Weather Update

To say it's dry is a major understatement.
According to the US Drought Monitor Michiana is in Severe to Extreme Drought Stress.  If you take a look at the national map there is more of the country in drought stress than not.

It's not hard to imagine what that means ... just take a look outside.  Rolled corn, droopy soybeans, dead lawns ... the only thing that seems to be growing are a few weeds (Plantain Buckhorn is a wonder in itself, isn't it?!?).

Another resource that could prove helpful is the Crops and Drought page by Purdue University.  It offers a ton of articles on the effects of drought on crops, including insect and disease pressure.

The critical stage for corn will be pollination.  Drought stress causes the pollen to shed before the silks emerge, causing blank ears.  If pollination happens to occur properly, the corn can still abort kernels if adequate moisture is not maintained.

As corn reaches this stage in the next week or two, we'll keep you updated.
Thanks for scouting with us!

Two-Spotted Spider Mites

Two-Spotted Spider Mites have been found in dry land soybean fields around the area.
These pests feed on the plant's juices and cause a shriveled, sand-blasted appearance on the leaves.  In soybean fields under drought stress the damage can be severe.

Sand-blasted Leaves

The Mites move into soybean fields from grasses edges and areas.  Without adequate soil moisture, the plant quickly suffers and can die without rescue treatment.
Mites are not seen on the plant with the naked eye, follow the instructions below to scout for mites.
Take a white sheet of paper to the field with you, hold it below the sand-blasted leaves and shake the leaves over the paper, like so:

 Dirt and other debris will fall on the paper as well, but if mites are present small, reddish-brown specks will start moving around.  The moving specs are the mites:  

 If Mites are present only adequate rainfall or chemical treatment will prevent the beans from dying. 

Beans suffering severe drought stress and Two-Spotted Spider Mite damage.

If you find Two-Spotted Spider Mites in your fields, call Edd's Supplies for treatment options.
Thanks for scouting with us!