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Hello from District 2.

Soybeans in my area are coming along nicely, but it didn’t always look so good for them. Two weeks ago I was finding a lot of White Mold and Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) in just about every field I looked in. Last week, I went back and spot checked all the same fields and found that levels of White Mold and SDS have not increased at all. The disease seems to have stopped in its tracks. This is great news for us.

The same could be said for insects this year. Early on it looked like Japanese beetles were also going to be troublesome. However, those populations never did get as high as I thought they were going to. Last week, aphids also started to show up in fields and now those populations have also crashed. This time of year is also famous for rootworm beetles feeding in soybean fields. I have found fewer rootworm beetles feeding this year than ever before.

So, in summary, a lot of threats have shown their faces and then disappeared. Soybeans that were planted somewhat early and taken care of are now heavily podded. Really, the only issue I see left would be weather. A lot of beans in my area were planted a little late this year due to the wet spring. Those soybeans have a chance of getting an early frost. Otherwise, I’m very excited about the soybean yield potential for this harvest.

Stay tuned for another report next month when I will update you again on progress.

Jeff Keifer specializes in agronomic data and technology at the Elburn Cooperative Company. His job requires him to help his fellow sales team deliver agronomic and technological knowledge to their customers. Jeff is a 2001 graduate from the University of Wyoming with a degree in Agroecology and is glad to be back working in his home area.