Episode 371: Boots In The Field Report September 17, 2025

 Beans are disappearing fast, but make sure to keep an eye on stalk quality while waiting for corn to dry down, especially in fields that didn’t get sprayed. Everyone at the field be on the lookout for signs of a field fire and of team burnout in these long dry stretches. These reminders and more in this week’s Boots In The Field Report.

Drier areas showing some crazy swings in bean yields within a field.  Ken shares that corn that dies before black layer will dry down slower, reminds growers to recalibrate yield monitors as need with moisture swings between fields, and for operations to have a fire plan for these dry conditions.

“Don’t ignore your gas gauge” Ken Ferrie talks initial yields coming in from early April corn and breaks down why a statement taken out of context can be very dangerous for approaching phosphorus applications this fall in this week’s Boots In The Field Report.

In this Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie recaps his Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois farm visits comparing disease and insect pressure, pollination progress, moisture status, and yield estimates across the different territories.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie reports high variability from field to field in pollination issues and disease pressure for corn in central IL. Between tip pull back, tar spot, and southern rust some of the top end yield has been reduced in comparison to last year’s crop. He also talks with Matt Duesterhaus about weather conditions and yield potential in western IL. Ken stresses scouting now to be able to make more accurate yield estimates for this season.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken covers how heavy fog delayed pollination and what problems that caused. He advises scouting the fields and noting the issues with pollination now when the cause is evident instead of being mystified by the lack of yield at harvest.  With all this wet weather Ken also warns growers to watch for ear molds, especially in corn on corn fields. He also points out that Physoderma Brown Spot and Southern Rust can look similar.

 In this week’s Boots In The Field Report, Ken Ferrie covers how current weather patterns are setting the stage in Tar Spot Alley and shares an update on three new counties where tar spot has been confirmed. Ken also dives into pollination concerns showing up in hybrids planted around April 14th and warns how upcoming weather could further hinder pollination success. With sightings of winged aphids on the rise, Ken urges growers to stay alert for disease pressure and pest activity—scouting now could make all the difference. 

Ken covers how pollination uniformity can change the amount of silk clipping pressure a field can take, wide spread potassium deficiencies, how bean stage needs to be evaluated before doing rescue applications, and the elephant in the room - Tar Spot. He covers reports coming in, next steps, and reminders of what we learned from past tar spot outbreaks.

In this week "Boots In The Field Report" Ken Ferrie dives deep into the "carbon penalty." He explains what this is, what specific conditions trigger it, and why growers are seeing a significantly worse impact this year compared to previous seasons.Additionally, Ken warns growers that current weather patterns are creating ideal conditions for tar spot to emerge later in the season. He stresses the urgency for growers to begin scouting their fields now and to start making proactive management decisions to mitigate this potential issue.

In this week’s Boots In The Field Report, Ken Ferrie catches up with Matt Duesterhaus in the western part of the state and they talk about beans caught in the carbon penalty, herbicide carryover, sulfur deficiency, in season look at plot fields, insect pressure, and how the clock starts now for how much tar spot pressure we might see late season.