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Drought in Indiana causes increased disease pressure

A southern Indiana farmer says drought conditions in his area caused an increase in disease pressure.

Ben Kron tells Brownfield his crops are starting to see the impact.

“We have noticed here since we walked about two weeks ago,” he says. “Our southern rust is really starting to come in and tar spots are really starting to come in our area.”

According to the latest crop and conditions report from the USDA, corn is rated ​70 percent good to excellent with ​81 percent silking. Soybeans are 79 percent blooming with condition rated ​71 percent good to excellent. 

Kron says they need more rain.

“We’re definitely dry here,” he says. “We haven’t caught much rain at all in the last several weeks. If we’re actually thinking about turning on irrigators, they were calling some rain tonight, so we thought, well, we’ll maybe hold off and see how that does.”

The second cutting of alfalfa is ​86 percent complete, and the second hay cutting is ​60 percent complete.

Topsoil moisture is ​73 percent adequate to surplus and subsoil moisture is ​71 percent adequate to surplus.