Our guests this week were Bruce Potter, Extension IPM Specialist, with the UMN Extension IPM Program. Bruce is located at the Southwest Research & Outreach Center (SWROC) at Lamberton and Curt Burns, Independent Crop Consultant, CB Agronomics. Curt is a certified crop advisor who specializes in corn, soybeans, dry beans, sugarbeets, alfalfa, sweet corn, peas and small grains in south central Minnesota.
We met with Bruce and Curt on June 28th for an update on early summer crop scouting recommendations for Minnesota growers and ag professionals. Bruce and Curt reviewed this year’s crop growing season and the impact that weather, disease, soil fertility, potato leafhoppers and black cutworms have had so far on this years crops.
We also discussed the management of other potential plant pest issues such a soybean gall midge, soybean aphids, armyworms and thistle caterpillars. Finally recommendations were discussed in regard to the use of non-Bt corn, European corn borer and waterhemp weed control.
