Crop Update: Pollination is occurring and with the news on social media, received a number of calls regarding corn tassels this week. Last year, I had seen some “tassel wrapping” in a few hybrids but hadn’t said anything as I didn’t receive calls on it. This year it’s far more widespread throughout the country. What is meant by tassel wrapping is the last few leaves are tightly wrapped around the emerging tassel so that only a small portion of the top is pollinating and showing. As I’ve watched these tassels the past two years, they try hard to emerge from the leaves. Some hybrids are able to push out of the leaves better. Some will push out through the side of the leaves. The tassels then look strange with what parts are able to shed pollen once they emerge from the wrapped leaves.

In some of the hybrids, there’s enough pollen being shed from refuge plants and the tassel tops, that they should still pollinate ok. There’s a few with less pollen shed, yet there’s also corn pollinating in nearby fields. Hopefully there won’t be pollination issues. It will be important to watch your specific fields for pollination.

No one likes to see these things happen. There’s been a number of things shared as to what’s going on. Some are calling this environmental. I’ve heard a number of people talking about either generic dicamba or status applications to corn. I’ve been in the fields looking at this for 10 days and would encourage you to walk into the signed plots of the different companies and local County Corn Grower plots. If this was an environment or dicamba issue alone, entire counties of acres would be impacted because of being in a similar environment and because of how much dicamba is used in post-herbicide applications. This unfortunately appears to be genetic as I’m only seeing it in specific genetics. When across companies, they’re genetically related.

Southern rust was also found in Nebraska last week and in our area, it was found in Butler and Polk counties even though Butler isn’t lit up on the map. It’s at low incidence and not a level to spray yet. I’m still saying to wait till at least milk if you’re still planning on a fungicide app to reduce potential pathogen resistance and for best economic thresholds: https://corn.ipmpipe.org/southerncornrust/.

Summer Grazing Field Day: Alex Daake in the Utica area is hosting a field day on Tuesday, August 5^th from 4-6 p.m. at 4136 Superior Rd, Utica. He took a pivot and divided it into quarters. One quarter is soybean, corn, grazed mix for 1 year, grazed mix for 2 years. Cereal rye is also taken for seed after the grazing. He rotates the quarters each year. The field day will primarily focus on how Alex is grazing covers, the cover crop mixes used, and how he feels it’s improving the soil. Come learn about what he’s doing, why, and the economics. On the quarter with corn was 2 years of previous grazing. He has an on-farm research nitrogen study on that ranging from 0-150 lb N/ac. He is also using satellite imagery from Sentinel Nutrient Mangement to determine which plots, if any need additional nitrogen. It will be a great afternoon of learning and sharing! Please RSVP to me at jrees2@unl.edu or 402-440-4739 if you’re interested in attending. Cookies and drinks will be provided.

South Central Ag Lab Field Day will be held Thursday, August 7^th near Clay Center from 8:45 a.m.-3:10 p.m. (Reg. 8:30 a.m.). The day is designed so you can pick and choose which topics you’d like to attend. More info. at: https://enreec.unl.edu/south-central-agricultural-laboratory-field-day/.