Justin George, Merigold
5/23/2023 – Rice: Spraying preflood spray, spreading fertilizer. Moving to flood on 50% Rice acres are probably up, especially in the north Delta
Soybeans: Range from Early Bloom, to planting. 95% thru planting. Fertilizing high yield farms. Plowing in, and spraying; some spraying then Plowing.
Corn: Will have some tasseling corn at the end of next week, and (I kid you not) some corn just emerging. One adage I heard this year, “from the time you plant corn, you are behind!” Especially with big acres… it can develop fast. Cold Sand was a phenomenon to me this year…
Milo: Still planting, but some came up in 5 days and was off to the races on the 12th day. Growing fast. Hard to keep up with, spray-wise and at-planting BUT it’s a must.
Wheat: Big color change, will be hard Dough later this week.
Tucker Miller, Drew
5/25/2023 – Cotton – we finished planting cotton yesterday May 24. Most of the cotton was planted around May 6 through May 16. We have some early cotton that was planted April 25 that survived and is looking good. It has four true leaves and did not have to be sprayed for thrips. Thrips have really increased this last week. We are spraying with Intrepid Edge at 3 ounces with good results.
I had a Simplot rep change my recommendation and went with Avenger which is Bifenthrin and imidacloprid. This was a total failure and had to re-spray. I can’t believe that this still goes on. This is why we consultants are independent and have no conflict of interest.
Corn — Our youngest corn is at V 6 with our oldest at V 12. We are applying our tassel shot of fertilizer and starting water on a lot of corn. We have had a north east wind the last three days and really drying things out. Will need a rain soon. No insect pressure at this time. We had the lowest stink bug pressure this year, and did not have to spray any corn for stink bugs. Our lay by herbicides are out and things are progressing smoothly.
Soybeans — our soybeans range from first trifoliate to seven trifoliates. Our twin row beans have been sprayed and are laid by. We will be spraying the younger beans when the reach v3 and V4. Insect pressure has been very low at this time.
Charlie Craig, Friars Point
5/31/2023 – I don’t have a lot of cotton to look at this year but what I have ranges from probably pinhead square next week to two weeks past emergence. To this point I have not had to rec. a thrips app. but am recommending an application on the younger buckshot cotton now. It doesn’t need anything dragging on it.
Jim Arrington, Senatobia
6/5/2023 – Corn: Most corn is V8-V10. We’ve been pretty dry so far but corn hasn’t suffered. I watched a plane today make the last pass with fertilizer and not 5 minutes later, it started raining. Can’t be much timelier than that.
Soybeans: Wheat harvest is underway so wheat beans haven’t been planted up to beans just beginning to bloom. No insect issues to report yet. We’ve been fighting the usual suspects of pigweeds and morning glories but grass seems to be more of a problem this year than in years past.
Cotton: We’ve sprayed everything at least once for thrips. We’ve seen really high numbers especially near wheat. I’ve seen favorable and unfavorable results with all the insecticide treatments. High numbers and spraying with herbicide tips with low pressure has contributed to inadequate control. Most all of the cotton is now 4 to 5 true leaves and past thrips stage. Plant bugs coming in HOT! Treated about 500 acres that was just beginning to square including about 100 acres of ThryvOn cotton that was running 12/100 sweeps. I have also seen an unusually high number of plant bugs in pre-squaring cotton. Hope this isn’t a sign of things to come.
Showers were spotty yesterday and today with some places getting as much as 2 inches. One place in Tate County had golf ball size hail and just missed a few fields I check.
Andy Tonos, Greenville
6/5/2023 – Rice: What little I have this year is being sprayed, fertilized and flooded up at this moment.
Cotton: No cotton for me this year, Praise the Lord!
Corn: Corn is anywhere from V10 to fully tasseled. Weed control was excellent. Most of the oldest corn has completed it’s first round of irrigation.
Soybeans are anywhere from just emerging to R3. Most are in the R1-R2 range. Weed control was food until the rain cut off. Now applying herbicides behind middle plows and hoping for the best irrigation. It’s DRY on most of my acres – no rain on the majority for going on the third week now. When it quit – it QUIT!!
Clay Horton, Leland
5/22/2023 – My latest planting date corn was spiking this morning when I was in it and I expect when I get to my earliest planting date corn later this week, I will have a few tassels showing. Most acres are V8-V10 stage. Insect pressure has been relatively low, a few hot acres of brown stinkbugs and some scattered bollworms showing up in the non-Bt acres is about it. Pipe is going out on nearly everything this week and areas where we have missed rain, I expect to be irrigating by the first of next week, if we continue with this weather pattern.
Soybean acres are all planted, some just emerging and the earliest planted have 8-9 nodes and flowering. Layby has gone out on a large percentage of beans south of Hwy 82, and more going out this week. North of 82, we are just starting to layby the first planted this week. Other than some cutworm pressure on a no-til farm, insects have been pretty quiet.
Combines are going to get into the early wheat towards the end of this week but most is still 10 days from harvest.
Jeff North, Madison
5/29/2023 – Soybeans – A high percentage of soybeans are at 2nd to 6th trifoliate. Herbicides have been applied and many fields are at layby. Attached is a picture showing phyto damage from 1 qt Prefix + 1 lb Glyphosate+ 1/3 pt S-metolachlor.
Damage is cosmetic and new trifoliates are fine. Weed control is very good, but this field, as many others, are needing moisture to activate herbicides. This particular grower with phyto refuses to use dicamba. No particular reason, just chooses not to use it. Time will tell before circumstances dictate that other weed control options will be necessary. Detecting a few yellow-striped armyworms, but no populations that cause concern at this time. They are primarily coming off grass that has been treated with herbicides and moving to green plant tissue. Soybean crop rated good to excellent at this time.
Cotton – Crop stage ranges from cotyledon to 5th true leaf. Oldest cotton should initiate squaring this week. Thrips have been light to moderate. The earlier cotton had less pressure than recently planted fields. Any field that struggled with emergence has seen more pressure and harder to out run the thrips. Materials considered and used for thrips control are 3.2 oz/A Intrepid Edge or .4 lbs. Acephate/A. Good results achieved thus far. Expecting Lygus populations and aphid populations to begin showing up soon. Cotton weed control progressing nicely.
Corn – Many fields approaching tassel. Last nitrogen applications are being applied to approaching completion. Water will be the emphasis from here on. This could be an extremely early corn crop. Hopefully temperatures will remain moderate and continue to be conducive for pollination and grain production.
Attached picture of a turkey nest and poult predator. I’ll let you decide on the fate of the serpent!
Donnie Adams, Greenville
5/30/23 – Cotton: All cotton double treated, imidacloprid & acephate. Good control of thrips. We had good moisture and growing conditions which helped also. Cotton came up and never stopped. Some replant due to early May rain. We are from cotyledon to possible first square next week. Have had spotted showers; really needing a good general rain.
Soybeans: Range from V3 – R2. Only issues at this time will be water. R beans will be needing irrigation.
Billy Bryant, Greenwood
5/31-2023 – Cotton: Oldest cotton setting first pinhead squares today with ages running from cotyledon to 6th node. Thrips pressure has been below normal this spring although many fields have required treatment. Both Bidrin and Acephate have provided very good control. The good growing conditions has our cotton crop advancing well with good slick leaves not affected by thrips or blowing sand. We are managing weeds with Glyphosate + Dicamba. No residual has been applied and will not be until we layby in a few weeks.
Bruce Pittman, Coila
6/6/2023 – Beginning to deal with dry weather for the first time this year. Corn is tasseling or begging to tassel. I’ve put up corn borer traps up on non-Bt fields.
Soybeans range from 5 – 11 nodes and most have been watered twice. Stink bugs in older beans average 2-5 per 25 sweeps.
Cotton is all beginning to square and off to a good start. Plant bugs in cotton range from 2/3 per 100 sweeps – first pinhead square going out this week.
Trey Bullock, Seminary
5/18/2023 – Cotton is probably 50% planted, 40% emerged and all planted this week will probably have to be replanted. Some growers are almost through and some just got started. Some areas in the last two days have had 4-6 inches and it was already wet. Some cotton fields that are up are a little thin but we’ll keep based on date and there’s still so much left to plant. Cotton behind corn with heavy residue have had some major issues with slugs with a few of those acres having to be replanted.
Peanuts are 50% planted but some of those acres are questionable. As with cotton may leave a less than desirable stand based on date and number of acres left to plant.
Soybeans are 10% planted and most of areas that will have soybeans are extremely wet and just will not miss rains. Hopefully today will be the last of rains for a few days.
Trey Bullock, Seminary
6/6/2023 – Cotton is from in the sack to 7th node. Thrips have been low overall, especially on early planted cotton. Most of my acres have been planted in last 10-14 days. In most counties I work it’s been 21 days since last rain until yesterday. A few counties got hit and miss showers and some got zero. I’m assuming there will be some preventative planting on some fields and some will go into beans.
Peanuts are 100% planted with most acres just cracking the ground. Early planted peanuts are about a 60% stand due to heavy rains behind planting but should be enough to make a crop. We’ve been from one extreme to another. Earliest planted peanuts are right at 40 days old and most early peanuts are relatively clean but it’s because pre’s worked great and now it’s too dry for any weed seed to germinate.
Lots of soybeans still to planted but what few are up, need a rain.
Trey Bullock, Seminary
5/18/2023 – Cotton is probably 50% planted, 40% emerged and all planted this week will probably have to be replanted. Some growers are almost through and some just got started. Some areas in the last two days have had 4-6 inches and it was already wet. Some cotton fields that are up are a little thin but we’ll keep based on date and there’s still so much left to plant. Cotton behind corn with heavy residue have had some major issues with slugs with a few of those acres having to be replanted.
Peanuts are 50% planted but some of those acres are questionable. As with cotton may leave a less than desirable stand based on date and number of acres left to plant.
Soybeans are 10% planted and most of areas that will have soybeans are extremely wet and just will not miss rains. Hopefully today will be the last of rains for a few days.