Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visited North Carolina on Monday to survey the damage from winds and flooding brought on by Hurricane Florence. Congressman David Rouzer joined Secretary Perdue and USDA’s Cheif of Staff & NC native Ray Starling. The team spent the first part of the morning, riding through eastern NC to see the effects that…
Details
With greater than 80% of the soybean acreage in North Carolina setting pods, now is the time to be on the lookout for pod feeding insects. Pod feeders are the most dangerous insect pest as they directly attack soybean yield by feeding on the seeds/pods. Corn earworm and stink bugs are the two most serious…
Details
Walking and scouting fields is important for a number of reasons but as we move into July, identification of insect pests is key to maintaining maximum yields. I recently met a bed bugs exterminator expert who told me that understanding the insect population in your field, allows you to formulate the most effective and profitable…
Details
Scouting is one of the most important things you can do to identify issues in the field and choose the most cost-effective course of action to solve them. Use this chart as a reminder of the steps to get it done right.
With over 50% of the North Carolina soybean crop now in reproductive stages, it’s time to begin thinking about how disease pressure may affect the yield of your crop. Scouting is critical to determine which diseases are present and if a fungicide application may be helpful in protecting yield. A number of diseases are common…
Details
[columns] [one_half] Brothers Frank and Wyatt Scott are recent recipients of the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association’s Annual Soy Scholarship and a part of the May 2016 graduating class from North Carolina State University. Both the scholarship and the CALS program helped them accomplish their after graduation goals,carrying on the 200 year old family tradition. This video…
Details
Fall is the time to think about nematode numbers in your fields. Nematodes are microscopic roundworms which may feed on the roots of plants. There are hundreds of different species of nematodes, but most are not economically important. Two that are of economic importance to North Carolina growers are root-knot nematode (RKN) and soybean cyst…
Details
Farm safety is always important to keep top of mind, but harvest time poses its own risks. As you’re harvesting beans this year, click the link to the article below for helpful safety reminders, including a short video and information on respiratory safety, how to avoid grain bin entrapment, grain loading technique and more. http://unitedsoybean.org/article/safety-first/
Details
While it is far enough along in the season to not be concerned about rust for the majority of our soybeans in North Carolina, some very late planted beans may still be at risk. Read the rust update below from Drs. Jim Dunphy and Lindsey Thiesen if you have beans that haven’t reached R5 yet.…
Details
Let decision makers and internet service providers know how much rural American needs reliable, high-speed internet access. For many in rural America, reliable broadband internet access is becoming more important on the farm as new technologies are embraced. However, internet access in rural America often lags behind that of urban centers. How well connected is your…
Details
‘Roundup Ready 2 Xtend’ (RR2 Xtend) soybean varieties are now becoming available for planting. Farmers should be aware of some significant concerns about use of these varieties. As of May 2, 2016, these seed were not approved for sale in Europe. Processors and elevators may require special conditions for purchasing these beans from growers. Perdue…
Details
Recent articles in this blog have focused on the importance of soil testing in overall farm management practices, but how farmers respond to the nutrient deficiencies and imbalanced pH will make the difference in achieving yield goals. Click here to learn more about addressing pH and macronutrient concerns.