Boots In The Field Report April 29, 2026
Ken gives a quick update to the planting window warnings according to current forecasts.
Boots In The Field Report October 24, 2025
In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken talks on streaks from aerial fungicide applications can skew plot data if not accounted for, tough tillage situations, why spreading out your planting window is so crucial, checking stalk quality of standing fields and keeping an eye on harvest loss till the last [...]
Boots In The Field Report July, 14, 2025
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 [...]
Boots In The Field Report November 22, 2023
In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie covers the last of the Hybrid Ear Flex plots that came out this past week, hard pulling conditions, and considerations for growers contemplating going from narrow to wide row beans.
Boots In The Field Report November 19, 2021
In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken answers a question that came in during Session 1 of Beyond the Basics. While soil tests can not detect if a disease is present in the field, it can give indicators to how the field will handle disease pressure. Healthy plants handle stress [...]
Boots In The Field Report November 11, 2021
In this week’s Boots In The Field Report Ken Ferrie warns about making sure the anhydrous is sealing as it is too expensive to let gas off. He reports that some strip-till growers are struggling to get good strips in current weather conditions and advises that they might have to move to [...]
Soybean Pod Abortion
If you are wondering if a recent event in your soybean field is causing pod abortion (sprayer application, heavy rain, etc) you can look on the ground to verify the effect.
Checking your Corn Borer Pressure
Non-GMO growers should be on the lookout for corn borers. Ken recommends putting out a trap to be aware of the amount of pressure in your corn fields, especially as plants reach 18 inches or taller. Once their presence is detected, then he recommends pulling the whirl in the shot hole plants to [...]
Pre-Solstice Flowering-Why It Matters
Planting beans early to encourage pre-solstice flowering is focusing on adding more pods at the base of the plant. The pods need to be ½ inch or longer in length to make them more stable before the rows close to be able to hang onto those pods. Adding 2 pods per plant can [...]
Ugly Corn – Web Short
Ugly corn phase happens in the period when the transfer is made from the seed roots to the crown roots. Sometimes stumbling in this phase can be indicators of a non-uniform seedbed.