Jenny Rees, Extension Educator serving York, Seward, Clay, Nuckolls, Fillmore, and Thayer Counties: Corn ranges from milk to dough stage in the area. Southern rust can be seen at low incidence in many fields, but didn’t seem to progress with cooler conditions this past week. Gray leaf spot and bacterial leaf streak have progressed with these cooler conditions though. Spidermites can be seen near mid-ribs in mid-canopies of fields to varying degrees. 

Soybeans are mostly beginning pod through seed fill.  Spidermites are showing up in lower canopies, particularly in non-irrigated fields. Of concern also are the number of painted lady butterflies that emerged from soybean and alfalfa fields the past 10-14 days. We will need to watch them to determine if they’re laying eggs for any treatment thresholds in the future. Have also been watching chinch bugs in some sorghum fields. Non-irrigated fields are really showing drought stress in portions of the area.