Top Ten Things You Need to Know After Slugfest 2024
Did you or someone you know experience extensive slug damage in soybean fields this spring? The mild winter and prolonged cool, cloudy, and wet weather of spring 2024 led to a surge in slug populations, particularly in fields with high slug numbers last fall. Stephanie Porter, CCA, shares observations from "Slugfest 2024."
More Rain…Now What?
Illinois experienced significant rainfall this week, including a derecho that brought substantial precipitation to several areas. How will this impact the crops? Our IL Soy Envoys share their insights on the situation, along with updates on fungicide applications, pollination challenges, corn leaf aphids, soybean diseases, and more.
Protecting the Solar Panels from Defoliation
Insect feeding is a yearly occurrence in soybean fields throughout Illinois, often going unnoticed until it becomes severe. IL Soy Envoy Shelby Weckel, CCA, discusses insect scouting and how to evaluate the threshold for control measures.
Phytophthora In Your Fields? Why You Need to Start Planning for 2025
After several weeks of heavy rain, Stephanie Porter, CCA, has been receiving calls about sparse soybean stands in certain fields. If hail, slugs, herbicides, or human error aren’t to blame, what else could be causing the problem? Find out in our latest blog post.
Should You Apply a Fungicide?
Halfway through the growing season, many farmers are debating fungicide application despite low commodity prices. What do our IL Soy Envoys and Certified Crop Advisers think? Tune in for their latest crop updates, Hurricane Beryl rainfall reports, Illinois record crop predictions, and more!
Staging Soybeans for Fungicide at the R3 Growth Stage
When scouting soybeans for fungicide application, it's important to first check the growth stage across the field. Stephanie Porter, CCA, demonstrates how to identify the R3 growth stage in soybean plants and how to inspect for diseases such as Septoria brown spot and insect damage.
Suspect Red Crown Rot in Your Soybeans? Get a Free Diagnosis Now.
Researchers are on the lookout for Red Crown Rot (RCR) across Illinois. If you suspect RCR in your fields, send your diseased samples to the USDA-ARS lab in Urbana for free. Help us monitor and identify new areas in Illinois where this pathogen has spread.
Well…How’d You Do?
As IL Soy Envoy Craig Grafton monitors the development of this year's crop and reflects on the recent planting season, he emphasizes the importance of evaluating successes and areas for improvement. In this blog post, he shares his approach to planting and assessing plots as the season unfolds.
And the Bad News Is?
After a week's break, the IL Soy Envoys have returned to provide their latest field reports. They cover precipitation levels—or the lack thereof in some regions—and discuss the emergence of tar spot and other potential diseases.
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