Scouting Patrol: Illinois farmer scouts fields to keep pests, diseases away from soybeans
From Palmer amaranth and marestail to aphids and nematodes, there are all sorts of weeds, diseases and insects that soybean farmers need to keep an eye out for. That’s why it is crucial for farmers to scout their fields and make sure a small problem does not escalate into a giant problem.
“Once we’ve finished planting, one of our main goals is to scout our corn and soybeans,” says Ron Moore, a farmer from Roseville, Illinois, and secretary of the American Soybean Association. “We want to make sure the herbicides worked and that we don’t have any diseases or insects cropping up.”
One pest Moore is on the lookout for is bean leaf beetles.
“Bean leaf beetles like to chew on the new leaves,” Moore says. “When insects like that start feeding on the new leaves, it slows the development of the soybeans. We haven’t had any at this point, but we’ve done some preventative management to keep any problems from arising with our new crops.”
Sudden death syndrome (SDS) is a disease that often appears in Moore’s area as well as on many farms in the Midwest. Checkoff-funded studies show SDS cost U.S. farmers in excess of 25 million bushels in 2013 alone.
“SDS can pop up in this area when it’s cool and wet,” Moore says. “It’s been pretty dry and relatively warm around here, but you still need to scout and make sure it’s not on your farm.
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