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Concerns for disease pressure grow following rains

A Michigan farmer says he’s preparing for disease pressure after recent rain and humidity.

Dennis Gardner farms along the Sanilac, St. Clair County border in the Thumb.

“It’s very sporadic over here, you could go 10 miles either way of our main farm and you’d have 1/10 of an inch versus an inch and a half if you go five miles the other way,” he shares.  “The ground is saturated enough in our area that we don’t want any more two-inch rainfalls.”

Gardner tells Brownfield the moisture is good for corn that’s pollinating, but he’s scouting more.

“I’m just going to watch from a standpoint of disease pressure in the soybeans because they definitely could turn into white mold issues, we’re watching them and we will be spraying fungicide on those,” he says.

If the rain holds off, he’s expecting average to above average yields this fall.