How to Manage Your Crops During This Week’s Extreme Heat

This week, Indiana will likely experience extreme heat with temperatures reaching 100 degrees. When the humidity is factored in, the heat index will be well above 100 degrees. It hasn’t been this hot in Indiana since July 2012.
“If you [have] irrigators, obviously you’re [going to] be running around like crazy keeping those operational and getting those fields watered as much as possible,” says Daniel Stauffer with Specialty Hybrids.

Daniel Stauffer, Field Sales Representative with Specialty Hybrids. Photo courtesy of Specialty Hybrids.

Daniel says your crops may benefit from the high heat.
“We’re obviously in the beginning stages of this big heat wave here, but it’s positive in that it’s going to cause these plants to root down to find more moisture, and so hopefully that’ll help us in the long run,” Daniel says.
He recommends feeding your plants with nutrients, as well as fungicides to keep them as healthy as possible through the heat.
“If that plant is healthy, it’s going to be able to withstand stress better and so considering a micronutrient pack, sugars or fungicide. Delaro ® [or] Delaro ® Complete would be a couple [of fungicides] for later in the season for tar spot protection,” according to Daniel. “Right now, [I recommend] Stratego ® YLD early application just to keep the plant health up.”
He also reminds you of the fast-approaching cutoff date for herbicide applications for soybeans.
“For our XtendFlex ® soybeans [and] the usage of Xtendimax® herbicide, that cutoff date in Indiana is June 20, so make sure we get those out in advance of that date. A positive that comes from the dry weather is we should see even better residual control out of that product. [It’s best to] stay in front of the weeds to make sure they don’t rob yield.”
Click BELOW to hear C.J. Miller’s radio news report on how to manage your crops during this week’s extreme heat.

Click BELOW to hear the FULL interview with Daniel Stauffer with Specialty Hybrids about planting and crop emergence progress throughout northern Indiana.