The 2013 crop has really started to show nice signs of growth and development over the past few weeks. After V10, the corn has been putting on almost one new leaf every two to two and a half days or about every 50 GDUs. We average about 20-24 GDUs per day in the months of July and August. A rule of thumb on any later or replanted corn fields is that if they reach the VT (tassel) stage by August 1, you have a good chance of reaching physiological maturity before the first fall freeze dates. It takes about 60 days from the VT/R1 stage to black layer or physiological maturity in corn. Typical first frost dates of 32°F for eastern South Dakota and south-western Minnesota are between Sept. 24 and Oct. 4. Average 28°F killing frost dates are typically seven to 14 days later. With some of the larger amounts of rainfall that fell in some areas, we would expect those growers who were proactive and side-dressed nitrogen prior to canopy clo-sure will be rewarded this year. It will be interesting to follow side-dress N vs. check strips this season. The corn rootworm (CRW) hatch has been delayed this year, but signs of CRW feeding should soon be noticeable when digging roots. Be sure to scout any late planted corn fields as they could become prime targets for adult CRW silk clipping that could in turn reduce pollination and yield. Soybean aphids have been found in portions of South Dakota and Minnesota and should be on your radar for scouting too. Visual effects of IDC, SCN, and PRR have been noticeable in quite a few soybean fields so far this season.

On July 1, Mark DeGroot joined

the DuPont Pioneer team as an

Account Manager for territory KJM

in Eastern South Dakota/Western Minnesota. Mark began the transi-

tion to his new territory on July 1, 2013 and replaces former Account

Manager, Jeff Behrens, who was recently promoted to a DuPont

Pioneer Area Manger position in

northern South Dakota & southern North Dakota.

Mark has been involved in a number of positions in agri-culture and the seed industry, bringing a diverse perspec-

tive to the team. He worked as both a sales agronomist and later the location manager of a retail location in

southeast South Dakota. For the past three years, he served as an account manager for DuPont Pioneer in Io-

wa. Mark grew up on a dairy farm in northwest Iowa

and served 2 years in the United States Marine Corp be-fore attending South Dakota State University where he

earned a B.S. in Ag-Business. Mark and his wife, Lisa, have two children Payton, 11 and Pryia, 8. Mark stays

active coaching little league baseball, camping, golfing and helping on the family farm. He and his family will

relocate to the Brookings, SD area.

Recently Pioneer announced the creation of locally-focused commercial units to help strengthen our business and position Pioneer to achieve the next level of service excellence for growers. In short, we are taking the busi-ness closer to the customer in portions of Eastern South Dakota and West Central/Southwest Minnesota. This market has some of the most intense agriculture in the U.S. characterized by the rapid adoption and high utiliza-tion of precision farming technology by innovative grow-ers. As a result, you will see added agronomy and preci-sion ag support from Field Agronomists, Curt Hoffbeck and Larry Osborne. Curt Hoffbeck will serve all or parts of Minnehaha, McCook and Lincoln Counties in South

WALKING YOUR FIELDS® newsletter is brought to you by your local account manager for DuPont Pioneer. It is sent to customers throughout the growing season, courtesy of your Pioneer sales professional. The DuPont Oval Logo is a registered trademark of DuPont. PIONEER® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents. ®, TM, SM Trademarks and service marks of Pioneer. © 2013 PHII.

Mark DeGroot Joins Area Sales Team as Account Manager

Growing Degree Unit Update for the Area

Get to Know Your Local DuPont Pioneer Sales Team

WALKING YOUR FIELDS

®

www.pioneer.com

July 24, 2013 - Issue 4

Location

GDU since May 5

Departure from

Normal

Predicted GDUs to

7/28 (departure)

Alexandria, MN 1053 +53 1425 (+88)

Morris, MN 1144 +93 1516 (+143)

Montevideo, MN 1145 0 1519 (+25)

Marshall, MN 1168 +70 1545 (+102)

Brookings, SD 1089 +71 1456 (+102)

Sioux Falls, SD 1166 +8 1546 (+20)

Source: www.pioneer.com GDU Calculator

(May 5 through July 14, 2013)

<<

Dakota and Rock, Pipestone, Lincoln, and Lyon Counties in Minnesota. He will work closely with sales reps and growers in territories managed by Kevin Branick, Tony Weis, and Ken Franzky. Larry Osborne will serve west-central MN, including all or parts of Yellow Medicine, Lac Qui Parle, Chippewa, Swift, Big Stone, Stevens, Pope, Traverse, Grant and Douglas Counties, as well as a bit of east-central South Dakota including southern Brookings, Lake and Moody Counties. He will work closely with sales reps and customers in ter-ritories managed by Jim Kokett, Mark Gibson, John Skoglund and Mark DeGroot. Product Agronomist Wade Gubrud continues to provide DuPont Pioneer product advancement and training sup-port to parts of eastern South Dakota and west-central/southwest Minnesota. Wade will oversee the Pioneer IM-PACT™ plot testing program across this geography. Dairy and Forage Specialist Matt Laubach will continue to provide dairy and forage training and advice to employ-ees, sale reps and local livestock and crop producers. Please refer the back page of this newsletter to see a listing of DuPont Pioneer Account Managers and the terri-tories they serve. Let us know how we can provide addi-tional service to your farm operation.

DuPont Pioneer and university research across 475 on-farm trials conducted between 2007-2011 shows corn yields increases an average of 7 bu/acre in response to a foliar fungicide application. The average yield response is generally greater in fields with large amounts of residue on the soil surface, such as corn-following-corn, and no-till or strip-till. Later-maturing fields can also be at greater risk to foliar disease and are more likely to benefit from a fungicide application.

DuPont Pioneer experts recommend scouting for foliar diseases in corn just before tassel emergence. However, do not apply any foliar fungicide applications until the en-tire field reaches the VT stage to reduce the potential for crop injury in the form of “arrested ears” that can reduce yields.

Consider the following factors when planning an applica-tion of foliar fungicide:

Previous Crop. Many foliar pathogens survive in corn residue. The risk of foliar diseases, such as gray leaf spot and northern leaf blight, in-creases when corn is planted into a field that was corn the pre-vious year.

Weather Condition. Rainy and/or humid weather is most favorable to foliar diseases. The disease risk increases in growing seasons when these conditions prevail. Summer fog creates ideal conditions for development of corn foliar diseases, especially gray leaf spot.

History of Disease. Some field locations may have a history of greater foliar disease severity. Fields in river bottoms, low areas or surrounded by trees may be more prone to foliar corn diseases.

Hybrid Resistance. If the disease resistance rating is a six or greater, a fungicide application may not provide a yield benefit. For susceptible products with disease rating less than four, spray, if disease symptoms are present, on the third leaf below the ear or above on 50 percent of the plants examined.

For intermediate products with disease rating of five, de-termine if disease symptoms are present on the third leaf below the ear or above on 50 percent of the plants exam-ined. Also consider the above factors, spraying if the field is in an area with history of foliar disease, a corn-on-corn planting, contains 35 percent or more surface residue and weather is warm and humid.

Foliar Fungicide Decisions in Corn

Don’t apply too early. Damage from fungicides and NIS is often associated with fields that were treated prior to tasseling. If the appli-cation is too early, there is a high probability that the non-ionic surfac-tant will damage the ears.

Goss’s wilt is beginning to show up in corn fields around the central U.S. again this year. In 2012, the disease was found throughout much of the area despite the dry condi-tions in late summer and fall.

This season, high winds along with sand/soil blasting that has occurred throughout June has likely creat-ed the kinds of injury necessary for Goss’s wilt bacteria to enter corn plants. The prolonged wet weather this spring is condu-

cive to bacterial diseases in many crops, and corn has been no exception. Goss’s wilt is caused by a bacterial pathogen and doesn’t respond to treatment with fungi-

cides. It is best man-aged with resistant hybrids and sound cul-tural practices. Risk factors to con-sider when planning for Goss’s wilt man-agement:

History of the dis-ease in a field in last year or two indicates presence of inoculum

Continuous corn raises the risk of inoculum build-up

Reduced tillage tends to lead to slower residue break-down and greater risk that inoculum will remain in af-fected fields

Irrigated fields tend to have higher levels of disease incidence and severity

Pioneer®Field360™ Notes App pinpoints your field loca-

tion via satellite imagery so you can record notes or pho-tos on the spot.

Display field boundaries for DuPont Pioneer customers

Easy to use interface; available for iOS and Android™

Instantly map and organize data with notes and photos

Share your data from the field via email

Pioneer® Field360™ Tools App

The Pioneer® Field360™ Tools app includes three pow-erful calculators that help growers make decisions on the go. The app features a powerful Growing Degree Unit (GDU) calculator, as well as Precipitation Esti-mator and Growth Stage Estimator to monitor and estimate crop development through each year. Pioneer Field360 Tools app includes easy to use features such as one-time input of location, start date and relative maturity (CRM). This allows you to easily navigate be-tween the calculators without re-entering data. Go to www.pioneer.com/apps to access the latest apps from Pioneer.

Pioneer® Field360™ Select software is an interactive,

web-based subscription service that combines your field data with real-time agronomic and weather information

Track field by field Precipitation and GDUs using Field 360 Select

Scouting 101 with GPS located as-planted Products

On-The-Go organized field applied data

Contact your local Pioneer Professional for more info! Download Pioneer

® Field360™ Apps

Goss’s Bacterial Wilt & Blight

Positive Goss’s Wilt sampling sites in ND, SD, MN and WI in 2012.

Goss’s wilt symptoms on corn leaf. Photo: DuPont Pioneer

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KJ Gubrud, Hoffbeck, Osborne

DuPont Pioneer Sales & Marketing PO Box 466 Johnston, IA 50131

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