What on Earth(worm) Are Those Brown Things?
Stephanie Porter shares more about identifying earthworm egg cocoons, emphasizing their role in soil health. She explains how lack of earthworms in a field doesn't always signify poor soil quality, and factors like soil type, pH, and moisture levels impact earthworm populations in agricultural fields.
Illinois Dicamba Label and Recordkeeping
As the 2024 growing season begins in Illinois, the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association (IFCA) reminds applicators that the dicamba use restrictions mandated by the Illinois Department of Agriculture remain unchanged from those in 2023. Annual dicamba label training remains a prerequisite before applying dicamba over-the-top of soybeans.
Can Henbit Serve As A Host Away from Soybean?
Illinois Soybean Association Outreach Agronomist, Stephanie Porter, CCA, shares the challenges of winter annual weeds, highlighting henbit and purple deadnettle as alternative hosts of soybean cyst nematode. Research suggests that managing winter annuals in the fall, applying residual herbicides, and removing winter weeds before planting are crucial strategies for management.
Learning From the Integration of Soil Health, Water Quality and Climate-Smart Agriculture
A multi-year Illinois Soybean Association project led by Dr. Andrew Margenot is benchmarking tillage and cover crops effects for soil health and water quality. Results will inform farmers of tradeoffs among soil health, carbon credits, and water quality.
Planting Progress: A Marathon, Not a Sprint!
The Soy Envoys provide a short update on planting progress and field conditions across different regions of Illinois. They discuss weed control strategies and herbicide applications as well as the connection of winter annual weeds being a host for soybean cyst nematode. Listen to the full episode here or on all major podcasting platforms.
Bulletins Live! Two – Are You in Compliance?
ILSoyAdvisor Soy Envoy, Karen Corrigan, introduces Bulletins Live! Two, a web-based application with access to Endangered Species Protection Bulletins, an extension of pesticide labels. She urges applicators to generate reports outlining any usage limitations or restrictions in their area prior to spraying.
10 Things To Consider (Thus Far) Going Into The 2024 Growing Season
As planting kicks off for 2024, read into Stephanie Porter's top 10 considerations for the growing season. She covers soil moisture, cover crop management, weed control, disease management, and more.
Planting Progress Report: Addressing Henbit Concerns, Cover Crop Termination, Pest Alerts, and More.
In this podcast episode, the ILSoyAdvisor Soy Envoys launch a new series, offering updates on statewide field conditions. They focus on concerns such as henbit control, cover crop termination, and reports of black cutworms and armyworms. Additionally, they discuss planting progress, currently at 2% for corn and soybeans (as of 4/7), attributing the delay to precipitation and cooler nighttime temperatures.
Exploring Red Crown Rot: Insights from Soybean Summit Panel
At the recent Soybean Summit, the panel discussed growing concerns surrounding Red Crown Rot. They covered various aspects including the disease's history, scouting techniques, seed treatment trials, management strategies, and more.
April Weather Outlook: A Late Freeze, Rainfall Chances, La Niña Transition & More
In his April weather outlook, Matt Reardon from Nutrien Ag reports increasing soil temperatures and reviews median frost and freeze dates throughout IL. He also discusses the transition from El Niño to La Niña and its potential impact on summer rainfall patterns.

