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Several weeks ago, Indiana received enough rain to eliminate drought across the state, leaving behind just a few counties in Abnormally Dry (D0) status.  Fortunately, this week has been relatively quiet, allowing many areas to alleviate flooding issues.  The U.S. Drought Monitor kept those Abnormally Dry areas nearly the same this week (Figure 1), so how might things change?  Will this recent dry period re-introduce Moderate Drought (D1) and/or expand those Abnormally Dry areas?  Or will more rain keep Indiana in a more normal situation where precipitation passes through every few days, separated by typical Midwest hot and humid conditions? First, it is important to review what has been happening across our state.  Over the past two weeks, Figure 2 shows that most of Indiana has receive above-normal precipitation except for southeastern and southern Indiana.  However, even those locations are within one inch of normal amounts (based on the 1991-2020[Read More…]


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To reach full potential of the forage part of the business, Mother Nature must comply with provision of excellent growing conditions, but the manager (you) must be part of a successful team with Mother Nature and professionals, too. Employing a proper soil fertility program, seeding at a proper time, using a correct seeding rate, and harvesting/grazing at the right growth stage are part of the decisions that need to be made. Crop scouting and following through with management decisions during the growing season are critical to success. But before all of the above can be done, deliberating what forage species and varieties within a forage species will be used to renovate an existing stand or establish a new hay or pasture field need to be done, too. The things I ultimately consider when seeding perennial forages are yield, quality and persistence. Summer-annual forages can’t survive winter temperatures, but potential yield[Read More…]


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I was asked to come to a field in early April many years ago by a young producer. The producer and the seedsman that sold the alfalfa to the producer met me at the field. The cause of concern was that there was an expectation of green alfalfa growing after breaking winter dormancy in Mid-March. Instead, what was seen at my height of 5’ 10” was light brown soil; not a trace of green from anything was seen. I dropped to my knees and got my eyes within 12 inches of the soil surface. What I saw was what had been an outstanding stand of alfalfa seedlings, at least 24 dead alfalfa seedlings per square foot, no more than 1-inch in height that were the same color of the soil. I asked the producer when he seeded the field. He replied, “October 7”. The “Best Management Practice” would have been[Read More…]


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Red crown rot of soybean has become a new concern this season in Indiana after a few localized occurrences have been found in previous years (see map, Figure 1A). We also have our first reports for 2024. This disease is caused by the soilborne fungus, Calonectria ilicicola. At this point in the field season, we are on the hunt to determine how widespread the issue may be here in Indiana. Therefore, we need your help in documenting red crown rot and collecting samples. What to look for: The disease may appear in patches in a field similar to our other soilborne diseases such as sudden death syndrome (SDS) and brown stem rot (Figure 1B). Early foliar symptoms may also mimic these diseases, which include chlorosis (yellowing) and necrosis of leaf tissue between leaf veins (Figure 1C). Therefore, it is important to take a few plant samples and check out the[Read More…]








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