Stinkbugs are trying to make their presence known around the area, however; numbers are still relatively light. Larger numbers have been seen right around Garden City but the further away you get the lower the numbers are. In most fields it is difficult to find more than 2 or 3 across the entire field. There is a mix of both green and Conchuela this year with more greens around than any year since I have been here. This is not really a concern, just keep this in mind… Read More →

I am steadily seeing more and more fruit shed around the area, even in fields that do not have a particularly heavy load. Most of this crop is on schedule to finish blooming by the end of this month which will be right on schedule. On the flip side we have a lot of cotton just starting to bloom or maybe in the 1st week of bloom. These fields could still turn out alright with favorable weather this fall. It may be a bit of a gamble if… Read More →

This is the last week that the scouts are checking fields for us this season, they begin two-a-days next week and will not be checking fields for us any longer. Fleahoppers can still be found in quite a few fields throughout the area. In some fields there are zero CFH while others are at threshold. The problem becomes do you have enough time to set enough squares and bolls if you go ahead and treat these fields, and will the additional bolls pay for the treatment? These decisions… Read More →

  Week seven looks very similar to week six except that it is a little drier and everyone has taken out a lot more weeds this week. Fleahoppers continue to be our number one concern throughout the entire area, and I again have suggested treating several fields this past week. I strongly encourage everyone to scout all of their fields for fleahoppers and make sure they are not taking out the tiny squares in the top of the terminals. Many times they will get them before they become… Read More →

With warmer, sunny weather this crop has finally taken off and began to grow. For most fields except for low spots and lake bottoms, the yellow is basically gone, and several fields need a shot of a PGR at this time. With the widespread fields that missed the first couple of squares on most plants there will be a little less fruit on the plant to hold this crop back and keep it from growing off as well. Fleahoppers are still hit and miss in areas all around…. Read More →

Fleahopper numbers are steadily rising throughout the region. In many instances they have not reached economic threshold as of yet, but when combined with what appears to be some early weather related square loss, we have some very low square sets at this point in the season. Especially considering our yield potential currently. In many of the fields that I have looked at this week square sets have ranged anywhere from 50-75%, this is much lower than we would like this early in the season. Also, as I… Read More →

With the rains we received this crop is making some progress now and has better potential than any crop at this point in the season since I have been here. Growth stages range from still at cotyledon to 9-10 true-leaves and squaring for several weeks at this point. With folks all over the state and even the cotton belt concerned about cooler temperatures right now we are truly in great shape. Since the rains over the weekend and these cooler temperatures we are averaging right at 15 GDU’s… Read More →

Emergence issues have plagued several growers with wireworms, cutworms, dry soil, seed quality and now increased deer and rabbit feeding in areas. This crop ranges from cotyledon to about 9 true-leaves with the average around 4-5 true-leaves. Several fields are now starting to put small squares on them. We continue to see jumbo grasshoppers east of St. Lawrence and more so around FM 33, however their numbers are not as high as a week ago and many fields in that area have been treated. Cotton fleahoppers are light… Read More →

We have got our first full week of scouting fields under us this week and overall, this crop is looking much better than at this time the past several years. The crop is ranging anywhere from cotyledons just emerging and a couple of fields just being replanted to about 7th true-leaf with the overall average around 2 to 3 true-leaves. For the most part everything is looking good on the insect front currently. We have some wireworms that are showing up worse this year than in years past… Read More →