Pest Update:

Rootworm populations are high.  We’ve talked about it all year, but with traps out now we are finding a lot of fields with a lot more than last year, even with preventative actions taken.  Our agronomist Troy is located by Dyersville and he has had most of the comments all year, but things are getting worse instead of better.  A dry spring and fall two years in a row has allowed populations to go unchecked.  We needed a saturating June both to replenish the soil and drown out the larvae, but neither happened so now we are in a state of emergency.   His comments are to get equipment and product ordered because the industry won’t have enough for 2022!  We will send out the weekly summary with trap counts starting next week.

Volunteer corn in soybeans was much harder to kill this year – this “pest” is also an attractor of rootworm beetles.  They will seek out the pollen in these soybean fields.  Waterhemp and giant ragweeds also attract the beetles.  This makes first year corn a little tougher if we are setting ourselves up for root feeding.  Just another problem to compound our issues.