Ask An Agronomist
Aug 31, 2022
What are we seeing around the Ada, MN area today?
Growers are just getting going with harvesting small grains again after the rain. Harvest is continuing to progress as it gets dry enough. There are some people working ground or spraying stubble for fall weed control. The last spray of sugarbeet fungicide is going on now.
We are soil sampling behind combines, keeping a watchful eye on the insect pest populations and working on the last leaf spot fungicide in beets.
There were a lot of weed control escapes this year. Do your best to not run waterhemp and other resistant weeds through the combine, also look into fall burndown to control the weeds that were under the canopy.
The row crops will benefit greatly from the rain we got last weekend. Even if the soybeans don't set more pods, there should be some added soybean size and test weight. We should have enough moisture to finish the small crops now. We do need a few weeks of dry weather to get the small grains finished up though.
Yields for small grains are above average, quality has been good so far. Expecting to see the earlier soybean varieties to start turning in the next few weeks. We still need some time before a frost to make sure we get our corn to Black Layer.
As you harvest your fields, it is important to evaluate your weed control. Look at what worked, and what didn’t, note those and be ready to adjust for next year’s herbicide programs.
Fall, right behind the combine, before they are worked, is the best time to soil sample your fields. You will get the most accurate tests if the field isn't worked, and the timing works best right after harvest.