June 25, 2021

Crop Damage

Hail damaged corn — Corn around V10-11 with leaves stripped due to hail damage. In this case, much of the corn will recover and look better in 10-14 days. Watch stalk bruising to see if stalk rot sets in. There are fields with hail damage at lower stalks with weakened plants that easily break. Soybeans at R1 (beginning flowering) reduced to sticks north of Stromsburg and in Hordville area. Soybeans with damage like this at the R1 stage can have the greatest yield loss in spite of seeing new buds regrowing with the warm weather. Another concern will be weed control going forward. (Photos by Jenny Rees)

Mid-Season Hail Damage Assessments in Corn and Soybeans

When severe storms and hail hit your corn and soybean fields, it's important to estimate yield losses to determine the need for future inputs and alternative management strategies. This guide offers steps to evaluate mid-season hail damage and estimate potential yield losses.

Pest Management

Start Scouting for Potato Leafhoppers in Alfalfa

Potato leafhoppers have the potential to injure alfalfa in Nebraska every year and have been reported recently in southeast Nebraska. Generally, they are a second and third cutting pest.

Research Updates

Economics Improve with Dryland Corn and Grain Sorghum Following Weed Control in Winter Wheat Stubble

With winter wheat harvest underway, producers should be mindful of managing weeds in wheat stubble, as timely control can save water in the soil profile and increase yields in subsequent crops.

Knorr-Holden Plot welcome sign — The Knorr-Holden Plot is currently supervised by Bijesh Maharjan, soil and nutrient management specialist at the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center.

100-year Corn Yield Data from the Historic Knorr-Holden Plot in Nebraska

The commitment of generations of dedicated soil scientists in maintaining and managing the historic Knorr-Holden Plot near Scottsbluff for more than a century came to fruition in a recently published manuscript in Agronomy Journal.

Forage Production

Pasture and Forage Minute: Toxic Plants and Grass Hay Timing

This week, extension educators review some of the common toxic plants found in Nebraska pastures, what to do when cool-season grasses mature ahead of grazing rotations and how to determine the right time for your grass hay cutting.

IANR & Extension

ET gage — ETgage installed near soybean field.

ET Resources

Online resources for viewing evapotranspiration (ET) information and changes, which can be used alongside your crop's stage of growth to estimate crop water use.

Hybrid Breeding Workshop begins Aug. 10

The in-person and online workshop will focus on decisions that must be made when managing a breeding pipeline that results in the release or commercialization of a hybrid cultivar.

FarmBits podcast episode banner — 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.

FarmBits Podcast: Solving for N

Iowa State University associate professor Jonathan Claussen shares his research on developing and testing soil nitrogen sensors that rely on an ion-selective membrane and communicate via telemetry.

Crop Reports

#NField Observations for June 2021

This week, Nebraska Extension Educator Ben Beckman discusses adjusting your grazing strategies to combat complications brought on by the weather.

Nebraska Crops Averaging Good to Excellent Condition in Mid-June Report

For the week ending June 20, 2021, corn condition rated 60% good, 23% excellent, and soybean condition rated 64% good, 23% excellent. Review the latest report on all Nebraska crops in this article.

Farm Management

Field of forage crop — USDA NRCS Montana (Flickr/Public Domain)

Managing Risk with Annual Forages

Annual forages are a useful tool to help manage erosion risk and build more resilient soil profiles. When planting annual forages to manage risk, producers may want to consider purchasing a crop insurance policy under the Annual Forage Insurance Plan (AFIP).

USDA Announces Dates for Conservation Reserve Program General and Grasslands Signup

The USDA has set a Friday, July 23, 2021, deadline for agricultural producers and landowners to apply for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) General signup 56. The FSA will accept applications for CRP Grasslands from Monday, July 12 to Tuesday, Aug. 20.

USDA Reminds Producers to File Crop Acreage Reports

Agricultural producers who have not yet completed their crop acreage reports after planting should make an appointment with their local FSA office before the applicable deadline. Thursday, July 15 is a major deadline for most crops, but acreage reporting deadlines vary by county and by crop.