Today, I learned about the recent Supreme Court decision to uphold the USEPA plan to reduce nonpoint source pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. Over the past year, I have heard numerous speakers tell me that Illinois agriculture needs to follow the voluntary Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy (...

On November 9, 2016, the USEPA approved the use of XtendiMax with VaporGrip Technology starting in 2017 on Roundup Ready 2 Xtend Soybeans. This is a new formulation of dicamba herbicide that promises to have low volatility. A new tool to combat the tough to control weeds, such as tall waterhemp and...

Recently I have been noticing a growing number of local corn fields are showing "top dieback" or the death of the top leaf (or leaves) of the corn plant. This can happen due to several causes. The cause that is worrying me and that I am noticing is a few scattered fields caused by Anthracnose. If...

The soybean crop in our area is tall and full of pods. Statewide the weekly USDA NASS soybean progress report is showing one of the best looking crops in the past 20 years with 79% of the Illinois' soybean...

Out in local fields, this week. If you are growing wheat this year and applied foliar fungicides to protect the flag leaf, then you did the right thing. The cool, wet start to May was a great environment for leaf diseases and the diseases are evident in local wheat fields.  In the attached...

Currently our corn and soybean crops look very good and the commodity traders at the Board of Trade seem to know this as well. New crop corn and soybean prices have fallen since their recent mid-June highs - $0.80 for corn and $1.30 for soybeans.As far as crop issues: Corn is looking good,...

Annual rye grass (ARG) is a popular choice by some for an over wintering cover crop. ARG is very good at scavenging excess soil nitrogen and it is excellent for breaking up deep soil compaction. However, its adaptability, quick establishment, and aggressive growth are also considered to be...