Due to the dry weather, early season fungal diseases were low or not even present, i.e., no reports of stripe and leaf rust (view reports/map and take the survey yourself at https://cropwatch.unl.edu/plantdisease/wheat). I did not recommend a fungicide application prior to flowering this season, save the application and product cost. However, dependent on the near-term […] Continue reading → 
Soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) are a plant-parasitic roundworm that attack soybeans in Saline, Jefferson, and Gage counties. The pest is not new or unfamiliar to area farmers and agronomists. However, sometimes we get too comfortable with old issues. As a reminder, SCN is the #1 yield-robbing pest in U.S. soybean production. Soybean cyst nematodes or […] Continue reading → 
Winter wheat variety selection is one of the first key management decisions that you make each year as a wheat farmer in southeast Nebraska. The three-year average yield difference in currently planted varieties evaluated at the University of Nebraska Jefferson County trial is 12 bushels per acre. I consider southeast Nebraska to include the 23 […] Continue reading → 
With the hail storms last night in Saline, Jefferson, and Gage counties, I wanted to remind or introduce you all to resources for crop producers developed by Nebraska Extension. I was part of a team after the 2014 hail storms to create a set of hail-related resources for farmers. A website, videos, and infographics were […] Continue reading → 
Fusarium head blight (FHB), also called head scab, is a fungal disease that infects wheat during flowering, which typically occurs between mid-May to early June in this area. This year, early maturity varieties and earlier planted winter wheat fields started heading on May 15 and likely will be flowering by May 21. Over the past […] Continue reading → 
The spring growth of winter annual weeds is underway. A winter annual weed is an unwanted plant in your field that germinated last fall, overwintered, resumed growth this spring, and will soon begin flowering and producing seed. There are numerous species of winter annuals weeds common in southeast Nebraska including henbit (figure 1), marestail, field […] Continue reading → 
Planting season can be busy and stressful, so please don’t forget to be safe when handling treated seed and check the seed tag or talk to your seed dealer for specific handling and use directions. Treated seed is another route of exposure for farmers and other handlers, whether this exposure is to fungicide, insecticide, or […] Continue reading →