Many agree that, for the most part, Indiana crops are looking pretty good. Luke Hesterman, who covers the Fort Wayne area as a field sales representative for Specialty Hybrids, says this corn crop is as clean as he’s seen it in 10 years.
“The last two to three weeks, planes have been flying, highboy sprayers have been covering acres and getting fungicide put on. So, guys are definitely trying to mitigate risk and protect this crop and get all the bushels they can out of it.”
Hesterman says tar spot has not taken hold like some thought it might in his area.
The same can be said for Specialty Hybrids soybeans around Fort Wayne. Fungicide and insecticide applications have been going on to protect potential yield.
“We haven’t seen a lot of feeding. We are seeing a little bit of white mold and sudden death a little farther to the west. It’s pretty spotty.”
Hesterman adds that Mother Nature has been pretty kind to us this season, with the exception of the dry stretch toward the end of planting. The extreme heat this week though is leaving crops wanting for a drink of water.
“I’d say, trendline right now, we’ve probably got an average to above average crop. But it’s all going to hinge on this next month. We’ve got a ways before it’s going to be in the bin and we need a few more rains to really bring this thing home.”
We’re not yet to harvest season, but farmers are already looking ahead to next planting season. Hesterman shares some things you should consider ahead of then.
“We’ve been using a lot of VT Double Pro corn across a lot of acres and we are starting to see a little bit of corn borer pressure coming back. So, guys need to start taking a look at what’s going to be the best protection for their acres where they’ve got corn and corn-on-corn. And, you know, some of these newer products with their newer breeding, they’re moving the yield up exponentially with new launches and we’re bringing them up three to five years faster than we ever have. So, those farmers know their farms better than anybody. So, getting together and talking about what’s going to be the best gameplan right now to lock in early cash discounts will be ideal, and then we’ll monitor things as we move through harvest.”
Learn more about Specialty Hybrids at SpecialtyHybrids.com.
