Weed and disease management are currently some top priorities for southwest Iowa farmer Ray Gaesser.
“We should be done with corn (spraying) until we may have to put some fungicide on, but we should have the corn taken care of for the summer,” he said. “But the soybeans, we’re focused on herbicide applications.”
He tells Brownfield his area has recently a lot of rain this growing season and he’s concerned it could lead to disease pressure like tar spot.
“We’ll have to be monitoring all of those kinds of diseases that are out there for both the corn and the soybeans,” Gaesser said. “That’s part of the scouting program that we need to do.”
According to Iowa State University Extension, tar spot thrives in wet conditions with high humidity and can cause significant yield loss if it’s left unmanaged.
Gaesser and his family farm near Corning in Adams County.
