Dicamba Damage Heats Up

Dicamba Damage Heats Up

crop protection Soybeans

Dicamba damage is the buzz in agriculture right now.  New formulations were haled as the answer to drift issues with dicamba.  Industry officials are blaming everything except that dicamba is a bad idea.  Prairie Farmer has published a Monsanto Response that seems to be weak in some ways.  Drift is only one problem.  The field below had damage across the whole field.  That is likely caused by inversion.  We have heard that even a heavy dew on recently sprayed fields can cause a problem.

Some commercial applicators have quit using dicamba because of the issues.  If you continue to use it, be sure to follow label and understand that conditions can change quickly.  You may start a field on label and finish off label.  Dicamba residues in the tank have been blamed in some cases.  I am not sure how often that happens.  This article on what is happening in Illinois seems to cover many of the issues very well.  Monsanto claims that used as directed there should be no problems.  I am not sure I would use it at all.

Cupping indicates dicamba damage. 

Good corn Harvest in Mato Grosso

Good corn Harvest in Mato Grosso

Brazilian Agriculture corn Soybeans

By Eduardo Paim:

The corn harvest has already started in northern Mato Grosso, and the productions are surprising, we are harvesting 20% to 30% more than we expected! The soybean harvest was over and great too!

Crop Condition Today

Crop Condition Today

corn Crop Condition Soybeans

In general crop condition this spring has been fair at best.  Today as we were getting caught up on soil sampling, we were still seeing fields that are too wet to plant.  Corn was still being replanted.  Patching in will probably continue for  2 weeks.  12 acres of corn planted in Mid-March was the best looking corn we have seen.  I am not advocating for planting that early because the risk is huge.  About half the corn is starting to get some dark color.  It is also getting tall enough that you can't see the areas that have poor stands for the most part.  Smaller corn has decent stands, but we are still seeing nitrogen and sulfur deficiency symptoms, probably somewhat as a result of weather. My overall rating of corn condition is just average.

Weather is improving for now.  Next week we will start hearing from some people that a rain would be nice.  The first rain in the forecast is June 17.

Soybeans are looking a little better than corn.  Stands are more even and some early planted beans are at V2 or V3 stage.  later planted soybeans are germinating and emerging fast.  My overall rating of soybeans is slightly above average.

Weed control is an issue in some places.  I have heard of disappointing results with Dicamba and I have seen disappointing results with Liberty.

Soybeans, Corn, Corruption

Soybeans, Corn, Corruption

Brazilian Agriculture corn Soybeans

By Eduardo Paim:

We have the soybean harvest finished in Brazil, it is certain that the production is record in all the states. With the accusations of corruption of the Brazilian government we had a sudden rise of the dollar and this caused the sale of soybean in large productions. Last Thursday of last week. High stocks on farms are still a concern for all farmers, today our prices depend on the Chicago Stock Exchange and corruption scandals that are always raising the dollar's prices in our country and causing better prices. We know that if the US produces a large crop of soybeans, prices must drop dramatically, that's what we expect for prices. The good thing is that we have a large soybean crop.

Let's start harvesting the corn in 20 or 30 days, the rains were perfect for corn, we will also have a large grain crop in Brazil. The prices are also small with the large production and with the largest cattle slaughterhouses in Brazil involved in the corruption scandals and the uncertainty will be paid to the cattle producers when they deliver their cattle for slaughter. We are living a year complicated with corruption, the strategy is to sell for price that does not harm as quickly as possible, because we do not know what will be the economic destination of the country.

Good Soybean Harvest in Brazil

Good Soybean Harvest in Brazil

Brazilian Agriculture Soybeans

By Eduardo Paim:

The soybean harvest was great in Brazil, most of the states have already closed the harvest, the states further north, Bahia, Maranhão, Piaui and Tocantis are beginning to harvest, and the crop will be good, too. We have good corn crops second crop. Corn and soybean yields are great here in Brazil. Argentina has yet to show its crop yields, many rains have flooded the crops at planting and now at the harvest new floods have occurred, it is still uncertain!

Muito Quente

Muito Quente

Brazil corn Cotton Soybeans

Mutio quente is a good description of today. Muito quente is Portuguese for "very hot." Today was in the mid 90's as we learned more about Brazilian agriculture. We started learning about cotton production. We were able to visit a cotton producer who works with Bayer Crop Science to produce cotton seed for future crops. He shared production practices, challenges, and some of the equipment used.

Soybean Harvest Almost Done in Brazil

Soybean Harvest Almost Done in Brazil

Brazilian Agriculture Soybeans

By Eduardo Paim:

Good Morning! Here in Mato Grosso we are closing the soybean crop, productivity will be a record! The climate is perfect for harvesting and production. Overall the average should be between 65 bags per hectare and 70 bags per hectare. The planting of the second crop corn is developing well, with good rains for the development of the plants.