Harvest updates and what farmers need to know about using Red Dye Diesel

Welcome to the Outstanding in the Field podcast. It is the end of October 2026. My name is Doug Gucker, an Extension commercial ag educator in East Central Illinois. I will discuss harvest progress, a newly discovered soybean disease in Illinois, the tax consequences of on road use of red dye diesel by farmers, and soil temperatures and anhydrous ammonia application. Harvest is in the final stages here in East Central Illinois with harvested acres over 90% done.

Filled white grain storage bags are popping up in fields like mushrooms after a rain. This is another sign the corn harvest is nearly over as farmers' permanent storage is at capacity. With a majority of October being rain free in this area, harvest has progressed rapidly, with many local farmers finished. Soybean harvest is more than 95% complete. A new soybean disease was discovered in a field south of Effingham.

The disease is Neocosmospora stem rot, which closely resembles red crown rot, has officially progressed northward in Illinois and Missouri soybean fields. This disease was discovered in 2022 in a Mississippi soybean field and two years later in a North Carolina field, and now here this year in Illinois and Missouri. Causal organism is Fusarium neocosmosporiellum, which has already been linked to a root rot in alfalfa and peanuts. This disease was previously thought to be a disease of, "rare occurrence." The best method for proper diagnosis is submit a plant sample to the plant clinic since microscopic observations are required to observe the fungal structures to differentiate it from red crown rot.

The announcement by the president of the Federal Excise Tax Temporary exemption of On Road Use of red Dye Diesel by farmers has caused a lot of confusion about the records that farmers will need to keep to avoid fines and possible tax penalties. The federal excise tax on diesel is 24.4¢ per gallon. This temporary exemption expires on 12/31/2026. A recent Illinois Department of Revenue notice provides clarifications on the records that need to be kept by farmers using red dye diesel for on road use. The records needed are license plate number associated with the dyed diesel used, the gallons used, the fill up dates, the date dyed diesel was last added to the vehicle, and proof the fuel was used for farming and agricultural purposes.

To avoid penalties, once enforcement resumes January 1, users must keep all of the following in the vehicle. Documentation showing the vehicle's odometer reading on the final day of the relief period, receipts for all fuel purchased after dye diesel use ends, and the proof that fuel was used for farming and agricultural purposes during the relief period. With harvest nearly over, farmers are anxious to get their fall fertilizer applications completed before winter. Currently, the four-inch soil temperature is still above the 50 degree mark. University recommendations for fall applications of anhydrous ammonia are to apply only after the temperature is 50 degrees or less and trending downward.

If you apply at temperatures above 50 degrees, a nitrification inhibitor is highly recommended. Once again, thank you for listening. And as always, remember, it is profit per acre, not yield per acre, that keeps you in the farming business.