Fields continue to dry out

Weather-
This week has brought warmer, dryer weather with it. Mid-week highs reached the 100 plus range and, as such, has allowed us to catch up on some much needed heat units. Crop development is still somewhat behind where we would be in an "average" year, but we are starting to make up for lost time. According to NOAA's website the forecast for the rest of the week and into next week looks good as well with highs in the 80's and slight chances for additional precipitation. Realizing that some people will absolutely not like to hear this, a little rain would not necessarily be a bad thing.

Forages-
Quite a few acres have been cut and baled since last week. Forage quality seems to be fairly good as producers were able to cut, have good weather for drying, and bale in a relatively short period of time. There is still some hay that needs to be cut by a vast majority of it is baled. This is great news for the fields that did not get flooded out, however there are some fields that were not as fortunate, so producers are considering whether or not to put in a crop like millet, sudangrass, or a cover crop mix.

Crops-
I will add this as a second post, but our wheat and barley producers need to be paying attention to the Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) and DON forecasting models for wheat and barley respectively. According to the models, we are now in moderate to high risk for these diseases. To see this information, click here. If you have susceptible winter wheat, spring wheat, and/or barley, it is imperative that you check your fields, determine their growth stage and, if they are flowering or near flowering, strongly consider a protective fungicide application.

The recent string of good weather has really helped the sugarbeet acres that got planted this spring. While they got off to a slow start, they are now looking much better and growing really well.

Pests-
Aside from the scab risk to wheat and barley that was mentioned above, not much has been reported regarding pest issues with our crops. Pulse producers should be scouting for signs of ascochyta and anthracnose on those crops and, if found, should treat ASAP.