Test stalk quality to prioritize order of field harvest

BOONE, Iowa — Farmers should consider stalk quality as they decide which cornfields to harvest first.

“Tar spot has showed up, but it is late so I don’t think it is going to affect yield too much,” said Brent Tharp, technical product manager for Wyffels Hybrids.

“If you have late May planted corn, it’s more at risk than April planted corn,” said Tharp from the Wyffels booth at the Farm Progress Show. “But the corn was far enough along in grain fill development that it won’t take off too many bushels.”

However, tar spot can impact stalk quality.

“I encourage guys to get out in their fields and look at stalk quality by doing a pinch or push test to plan their harvest schedule,” Tharp said.

“There are some pockets that had rootworm damage, but not tremendous pressures in Illinois,” the product manager said.

“Eastern Iowa had some heavy rootworm populations and feeding,” he said. “The areas that got heavy May and June rains in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin probably drowned a lot of them, so we’re not seeing much in our beetle counts in those areas.”

Tharp is not aware of problems with corn earworm or Western bean cutworm.

“I’m not saying they are not out there, but I haven’t heard about outbreaks,” he said.

There has been some damage from aphids.

“On individual plants they did a lot of damage, but if it’s one plant in 1,000, it’s not a big deal,” Tharp said.

“The sticky residue the aphids leave attracts mold which hurts photosynthesis and grain fill,” he said. “And the aphids are sucking the sugar water out which is not a good thing either.”

Tharp is expecting an abundant corn crop this year.

“It will probably be a record,” Tharp said. “We had a lot of wind, some green snap and some smut on the ears, but it’s still going to be good.”

“There are some areas where the corn ran out of nitrogen, especially where there were some heavier rains in the northern part of the state,” he said. “Those crops won’t be as fancy as in central Illinois.”

Looking ahead to the 2025 growing season, Wyffels is offering 17 new hybrids in its product lineup.

“They are scattered across all our traits,” Tharp said.

Seven of those new hybrids are non-GMO.

“You can raise outstanding non-GMO corn, but you have to be prepared to manage it,” Tharp said. “Our non-GMO growers have phenomenal yields, but there are times they’re investing more into the crop than traited guys for weed control.”

New hybrids range from 94- to 113-day maturities.

“W6505 and W7499 are ones I’d keep my eye on,” Tharp said.

“W6505 is a 110-day, Trecepta hybrid which provides control for above-ground insects,” he said. “W7499 is a 112-day SmartStax PRO hybrid.”