Southern Louisiana | nekfarmer - 8/24/2016 20:20
I believe this morning at the local coop coffee drinking session it was called a "bug epidemic" (but really worms). Everyone is freaking out and planes are running day and night to spray everything. Myself I'm not too excited about spending another $20 an acre for 9$ (probably go lower) beans. If you're adding bushels you're only adding to the surplus, someone has to help deplete it to get the price up. We have bugs and worms every year but I guess this year the coops need more money. It only takes one farmer to get many others excited.
If you look close enough, even the prettiest model has flaws.
Alright, I don't post too much as I am always busy in the field scouting. And I pay careful attention to agronomy from 29 seasons of field experience and also keeping up and filtering through all the university/independent agronomists info from many states. And I am still in the field everyday.
Being from the Deep South, insect problems are worse here than in Kansas. But this year is the worst I have seen. Mild winter in 2012 (not much of even a frost), but 2015-2016 was even milder. And rainfall has been excessive in not only Louisiana, but most of the southern delta region. This makes for a train wreck for insects and diseases.
Just some cordial advice, filter through all your daily coffee pot talk and daily rants about spending money on your crop. Unless you are documenting insect counts, defoliation, and posting such, just consult either a state specialist or qualified agronomist. Or scout your fields yourself and get educated on crop damage from these insects first hand. Seems from your post you are relying too much on your coop to provide you recommendations and free coffee. There are good coops and bad ones. Choose wisely.
I won't quote him directly, but I think of one of Brad Law's comments that made me put a red hand plant on my face from me slapping it when I read this post.
From experience though, I would rather deal with worms any day than red banded stinkbugs. RBSB will destroy a soybean crop in less than a week.
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Worms are thick
