In line with previous forecasts in mid-July and early August, there is no indication that this is going to be a record — and not even an above average — year for national corn yield.
Figure 1. Soybean pods collected from stage R7 plants (one mature pod per plant) that were opened to determine if the pod wall interior membrane was still clinging tightly to the seeds (leftmost pod), or if it was beginning to detach from the seeds (second pod), or if the membrane was now permanently attached to the pod wall (third pod). After attaining physiological maturity, seeds undergo a dry-down period from about 60% moisture to about 13% moisture. Note that the Rx.x numbers used here are pod-based stages, not plant-based stages.
The timing of the ending R stages in soybean is governed by planting date (PD) and varietal maturity group (MG), though the date of R7 can be hastened if water stress and high temperatures prevail in August — something we are seeing in portions of Nebraska this year.
The Crop Residue Exchange is an interactive, online tool that facilitates connections between livestock producers looking for forage and crop producers with available crop residues or other forage resources.
The Crop Residue Exchange continues to connect livestock producers with crop residue and other forage resources.
University of Nebraska research has determined that when corn residue is grazed at proper stocking rates, there are small, but positive effects on crop production the following year.
Soybeans across Nebraska are currently presenting symptoms common with Sudden Death Syndrome and Brown Stem Rot; however, recent samples indicate many of the affected fields are experiencing phytotoxicity due to the application of a triazole (DMI) fungicide.
Fall armyworm caterpillars do most of their feeding in the last stage. If you are not watching fields on a regular basis, you may not notice damage or armyworms until they are large and doing significant damage.
Forage Production
The average round bale may lose up to one-fourth of its original nutrients during outside storage, but these losses can be reduced to less than 10% or so with the right row orientation and adequate ground surface drainage.
Extension educators review options for improving thin alfalfa stands, the most effective storage methods to reduce hay losses and managing late summer pasture weeds.
For the week ending Aug. 22, 2021, corn condition rated 43% good and 24% excellent; soybean condition rated 49% good and 20% excellent. Dry edible beans blooming was 95%.
During the fall of a building La Niña event, the northern and central High Plains region has a tendency to be warmer and drier than normal, which will keep drought prospects elevated for 2022 barring an exceptionally wet late winter and spring.
Extension Events
Rye in continuous corn April 19, 2018 at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Education Center near Mead. (CropWatch file photo)
Nebraska Extension, NRCS and SARE are sponsoring an in-person Cover Crop Field Day on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021 at the Daryl Obermeyer Farm in Nemaha County.
After a virtual event in 2020, the 2021 Husker Harvest Days will be in-person, featuring a program by Nebraska Extension educators and specialists that will share research on a wide array of agriculture topics.
Teams of Nebraska Extension educators and specialists will be sharing their field-proven experiences with new research-based, unbiased information at the 2021 Husker Harvest Days (HHD) farm show Sept. 14-16.
IANR & Extension
Top: Combining weedy dry beans. Bottom left: Palmer amaranth in dry beans. (Photo by Gary Stone). Bottom right: Combine cleanout. (Photo by Meaghan Anderson)
With increasing pressure from herbicide-resistant weeds such as kochia and introduced herbicide-resistant weeds such as Palmer amaranth and waterhemp, it is important to reduce spreading of weed seed. Doing a limited cleaning between fields and choosing which fields to harvest first can be an important factor in this endeavor.
The Farm Sci-Ed program focusing on highlighting the “science and education behind farming” and integrated pest management research released its first video in a series about research projects happening within the Nebraska Panhandle.
Hosted by Samantha Teten and Jackson Stansell — graduate students in UNL's Department of Biological Systems Engineering and Nebraska Extension Digital Agriculture team members — FarmBits Podcast is a weekly series highlighting new innovations and trends in digital agriculture through interviews with academic experts, farmers and industry specialists.
Agronomists Seth Gurley and Jessie Ziems discuss the complexities of potato protection and how they are leveraging digital tools and advanced technology to combat pest pressure across the CSS Farms, Inc. operation.
University of Nebraska irrigation scheduling recommendations encourage irrigators to allow crops to continue using more of the stored soil water starting in August and continuing into September when the crop matures.
