Latest Updates from cropwatch.unl.edu

Winter wheat production is estimated at 34.0 million bushels, down 38% from last year, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The area harvested for grain totaled 830,000 acres, down 14% from 2019. Planted acreage totaled a record low 900,000, down 16% from a year earlier. The yield is 41.0 bushels per acre, down 16 bushels from last year.

As October approaches and harvest starts, don’t forget about thistles plaguing your pastures. Fall, specifically October and early November, is a key time to chemically control thistles in pastures. This is an ideal time to control biennial and perennial thistles. Proper identification of thistles is key to picking the proper chemical control.

With droughty conditions across the state and late season moisture regenerating stands of alfalfa, is there still an opportunity to take October alfalfa cuttings? And which stands could handle a late season cut?

Extension educators report on what they are seeing in the fields this week in the Seward, York, Hitchcock, Hayes, Frontier and Red Willow counties

The Crop Residue Exchange continues to expand to better connect livestock producers with available forage resources. (Photo by Troy Walz) The Crop Residue Exchange came online in August 2017 and was designed to increase the convenience and accessibility of grazing crop residues. This online exchange assists corn and other crop producers to market crop residue to cattle producers. This interactive, online tool helps farmers and cattle producers connect and develop mutually beneficial agreements to use crop residue and forage cover crops for grazing.

Nebraska corn was 65% mature, well ahead of average, and 10% harvested as of Sept. 21 according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Soybean dropping leaves was 82%, well ahead of average, and 10% harvested. Dry bean harvested was 62% and sorghum was 49% mature.

Photo credit; UNL Entomology High numbers of woolly bear caterpillars are reported in some soybean fields in south central Nebraska. Pay particular attention to late maturing soybean fields. These act as a magnet for woolly bear caterpillars and many other insects; especially those that can fly, such as grasshoppers, bean leaf beetles, and southern corn rootworm beetles.

A webinar scheduled for noon on Oct. 1 will present the findings of a recent University of Nebraska-Lincoln study on the impact of the Nebraska agricultural production complex.

Based on September 1 conditions, Nebraska's 2020 corn crop is forecast at 1.78 billion bushels, down slightly from last year's production, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Area harvested for grain, at 9.45 million acres, is down 4% from a year ago. Average yield is forecast at 188 bushels per acre, up 6 bushels from last year.

The middle to end of September is a good time to establish cover crops by broadcasting seeds into corn or soybean before harvest. Broadcast interseeding before harvest allows cover crops to capture more sunshine, growing degree days and rainfall than drilling after harvest.

Extension educators report on what they are seeing in the fields this week in the norther Panhandle, Saunders, Sarpy and Douglas counties.

As we get close to soybean harvest, some herbicides can be applied as harvest aids (desiccant) to desiccate weeds and improve harvest operation. While weeds can interfere with harvest equipment, some producers see the benefit of a harvest aid in creating a more rapid and efficient harvest.

Our forecasts suggest a near-average year for irrigated corn at most sites. For rainfed corn, the scenario is diverse across regions.

Time spent waiting in a grain cart or truck on the edges of fields while the combine fills may feel like wasted time and lead to frustration. Why not make the most of that time by using it to collect soil samples for soybean cyst nematode (and other) analyses?

Poor stalk quality can cause stalk lodging and breakage, leading to harvest difficulties. This could cause yield loss and create issues of volunteer corn for next year's crops due to ears lost from lodged corn.

Acetolactate synthase (ALS)-inhibitor resistant Palmer amaranth is difficult to control in dry beans. Currently labeled pre-emergence (PRE) and preplant incorporated (PPI) herbicides are effective for controlling ALS-inhibitor resistant Palmer amaranth. However, a post-emergence (POST) herbicide is generally needed to provide season-long control.

Patches of yellowing or dying soybeans have been observed and are a cause of concern across many areas of Nebraska in the last 2 weeks. Some of these areas are due to several diseases described here.