Across the county, corn is between VE and about V4 while soybeans are yet to emerge or at about V1. The rainfall received over the past couple weeks has been well received – the crop looks healthy and green. Surprisingly given the rain, there aren’t yet any significant weed flushes, but scouting is recommended to identify any moving forward.

Most of the 2025 crop has emerged in the last 3 weeks. Stands look good by and large. Some of the early fields did get a bit of crust and needed a hoe in the absence of a timely rain. Corn stages range from V5 on the first planted fields to VE-V1. Soybeans are mostly VE to VC but we do see some trifoliate leaves here and there. The cool temps over the last 10 days or so have slowed crop growth across the board potentially negating some of the advantage of early planting. Warmer weather is in the forecast but not much rain.

All but maybe a handful of corn and soy fields have been planted in Douglas County. For both corn and soy, most fields are still in earlier stages of development (V1-V2), and I also saw several fields that were just now emerging (VE). However, there were a number of fields in certain pockets of the county reaching V3-V4 for soy and V4-V5 for corn. The few wheat fields I saw were on the tail end of flowering (Feekes 10.5.4).

Weed pressure appeared to still be low in most corn fields, but I found a few soybean fields that will be needing a post-emergence application before too long. With warmer weather and not too much rain in the forecast next week, soils should be dry enough to handle traffic in most fields. The warmer weather also means emerged weeds, particularly waterhemp, will grow quickly, thereby reducing the efficacy of chemical control options. Because of this and varying degrees of herbicide resistance in waterhemp populations, it is recommended to apply post-emergence herbicides when waterhemp is no more than 3-4 inches in height. For more information on waterhemp biology and control options, check out the resources on the Getting Rid Of Weeds (GROW) website.

https://growiwm.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/20200921-factsheet-waterhemp-ada-usdadraft.pdf

Below average temperatures this week have slowed crop growth. Most planting is complete and limited replant, mostly soy, has taken place. While most observations are focused on aboveground 2025 crop development, it is interesting to consider what is happening underground. While variation exists among hybrids and locations we can share several generalizations about corn root growth. The maximum rooting depth is largely determined by the depth of the groundwater table. Corn roots require oxygen to respire and survive, for this reason most corn root growth ceases once the water table (and saturated soil) is reached. Roots can be expected to extend or “meet” across 30-inch rows by the corn plant at V6 but has been reported in earlier stages in favorable growing conditions. The corn plants’ maximum root depth, which can reach six feet (if not limited by soil barriers) is normally attained by the blister or milk stage in the growing season. Maximum root depth can be helpful, but we are reminded that most of the root density is in the top two to three feet of the soil profile.
While scouting fields this week I am visually reminded of management suggestions shared by Extension Weed Specialists, including Dr. Aaron Hager, on the importance of preventing Waterhemp from reaching the stage of viable seed production. When allowed to do so, these prolific seed producing weeds can generate an impressive flush of weed seedlings the following year. Despite the cool week Burcucumber is getting an early start and has been noted as well. Evaluate stand and post herbicide efficacy in both corn and soy fields in the upcoming weeks.

In previous weeks, we were praying for rain and battling windy conditions. Thank goodness our hopes came true! Last week, we didn’t have a single day without rain from Sunday through Thursday. In common wet spots in fields, there was standing water for a few days. These conditions brought all sprayers and field work to a halt.

Before the rain, there was a large window and no rush to apply post-emergence chemistries. Now, that window has drastically narrowed. As of midday Saturday into Sunday, we’ve started to see a little field activity pick up. Hopefully, by Tuesday—following the busy holiday weekend—field and environmental conditions will be favorable for getting the post-emergence chemistries on!

For us, this past week was full of inventory, organizing, and catching up on projects around the plant before the next big push.

There were still planters and sprayers going over the weekend, but planting is getting closer to being finished. Obviously, crops are at all different growth stages, but the weather has hindered growth of early planted crops. Waterhemp is making its debut in early planted soybean fields and post herbicide applications will be needed soon.