July is upon us. The corn is at least knee-high in most areas around mid-eastern Missouri, which means that it is time to start thinking about corn fungicide. Each year brings new weather conditions that make deciding whether to use fungicide on your corn difficult. You may be asking yourself: is corn fungicide worth the investment? In the next section, I’m going to give you 5 reasons the answer is a resounding yes.
1. Your corn looks good
Let’s be honest, unless you are one of the unlucky few, your corn probably looks pretty darn good right about now. Despite an overly wet spring, many farmers around mid-eastern Missouri got their crop in the ground in time to sit and watch the rains come. We are certainly not experiencing drought conditions right now. It’s impossible to know how the weather will turn out in the end (meteorology is still not an exact science, believe it or not). But here’s what we do know: the weather has been ideal for a great crop thus far. If you have good-looking corn out there, then you need to capitalize on that by using fungicide to protect and enhance your investment.
2. Weather conditions: good for yield = good for disease
Unfortunately, every rose has its thorn. With ideal weather conditions for corn growth come prime conditions for diseases to manifest. There are many different diseases out there that affect corn yields, and most of them like hot and humid weather. It is not an understatement to say that we have hit the jackpot of hot and humid lately with timely rains and mid 90-degree days. To add another layer to that effect, if your corn was damaged earlier in the season by wind or hail, then you are much more likely to see diseases in those fields. Damaged tissue on plants invites all kinds of harmful bacteria, no different than human wounds getting infected if not treated properly. Fortunately, there is a way to fight this infection and keep your plant healthy, which is where corn fungicide comes in.
If you want to learn what some of these diseases look like, here is a great article by Channel that shows several foliar corn diseases and how they manifest: https://www.channel.com/agronomics/Pages/Foliar-Diseases-of-Corn.aspx
3. Corn Prices are up
Corn prices are higher now than they have been for a long time. Unfortunately, that has a lot to do with the large amounts of corn acres that didn’t get planted due to a wet spring. But with decrease of supply comes increase in demand, which can provide a golden opportunity for those who did get their corn planted. With higher prices comes the ability to make a lot more money with every bushel that you make. Higher yields are possible with corn fungicide, meaning more revenue. Lower yields are possible with disease taking hold, meaning less revenue. If you want to add and protect your revenue, fungicide application is a great way to do it.
4. If you’re getting insecticide, you might as well get fungicide
Based on what our crop scout, Mikayla Engemann, has been seeing, it sounds like bugs are going to be a problem again this year. This is becoming a routine development as our infestation of Japanese Beetles continues to wreak havoc on our corn and bean fields alike. We also tend to see bean leaf beetles, stink bugs, and grasshoppers every year. We have a lot of guys every year who want insecticide flown on their fields to get rid of this six-legged plague. If you’re one of them, consider adding in the fungicide. The application charge is generally the most expensive aspect of aerial-applied chemicals, so it may be a good idea to take that extra little step to get the maximum yield benefit from a trip you’re already paying for.
We will dive further into Japanese Beetles next week. If you want to be notified when that article goes live, then click here to join our email subscriber list.
5. Maximize your corn’s potential
If you want to get everything out of your corn plant that you possibly can, then you’re going to have to put a lot into it. Bumper crops do not happen without proper care and nourishment. After all, fungicide is not just an insurance policy that helps to safeguard your plant against diseases. Corn fungicide will also help the plant be more water efficient. This means that if we do hit a dry spell, your plant will be more likely to handle the stress and not show drought symptoms. Fungicide also helps the plant to stay green and healthy, so that it can take in more sunlight and produce more chlorophyll, which it uses to feed itself. This will lead to an increase in growth and fruit development, and therefore an increase in yield.
A more in-depth analysis of how fungicides help plant health can be found here via Grainews.
Wrapping things up
This could be a big year for a lot of farmers in Missouri, especially those in the mid-eastern area. It’s not often that we have this kind of opportunity to capitalize on a good year like this in the clay pan. Just know that you can achieve a bumper crop, not just by your own standards, but by objective standards. It just takes some strong decision-making. Remember, nothing is set in stone. We make you no guarantees. But if there was ever a good year to protect your investment, this year sure seems to be shaping out that way.
If you want to take steps towards making your corn crop one for the record books, you can start by talking to our representatives at your local Service and Supply Coop branch. We offer a variety of options to choose from when it comes to fungicides, whether you want top-notch care and effect or more budget friendly options.
Click here to email us or click here to call your local branch and speak with a professional to learn more.
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