Midseason Update in Ohio

Shelby Fite is part of the second generation of Mann Farms, a grain farming operation in Jackson Center, Ohio. You can see her on RFDTV’s Top Crop.

It's hard to believe that it’s already August. It seems like just yesterday we were running around trying to get seeds in the ground and now we are thinking about getting the harvest equipment out of the shed.

I believe Mother Nature has set us up for average to slightly above average yields this year. We have had periods of both wet and dry, but thankfully, the conditions improved rather quickly. On some nights, we have been fortunate to receive 1 to 1.5 inches of rain.

Our earliest planted corn is now at the R4 growth stage. We have seen a little bit of nutrient remobilization occur; however, since adopting Pivot Bio, we have seen less late season firing and leaf dropping. We attribute this to increased root mass and better nitrogen utilization throughout the season. We also have achieved better tip fill on ears. Our latest planted corn is just beginning to tassel, having gone through a very synced pollination.

We are monitoring fields closely for Tar Spot. We have been fortunate to not be in a high disease pressure area, and often the disease arrives late enough that a fungicide application isn’t always necessary. However, with ongoing rainfall and high humidity, we will likely need to start scouting for the disease soon.

Another reason why I believe we are not dealing with Tar Spot is because with Pivot Bio, we have seen an overall increase in our plant health. Our corn gets a healthy start from the beginning and this health is still apparent even into the reproductive stages.

Soybeans have reached the R3 growth stage and beyond. We have been busy making a late season fungicide, insecticide, and foliar fertilizer pass on the soybeans. Our pod potential looks good – now if we can just get the plant to retain as many of them as possible. We are seeing a little bit of Frogeye and Sudden Death Syndrome in our soybeans.

August rains will indeed help both finish off our crops and hopefully provide us with a nice boost in test weight.