News

Agronomist concerned about 2022 corn rootworm pressure

An agronomist is concerned about the likelihood of corn rootworm pressure next growing season. 

Scott Rowntree with Pioneer in Wisconsin tells Brownfield the evidence is there to show potentially large rootworm problems. “We saw some of our highest trap counts ever here in the summer of 2021 so that’s just telling us those beetles are going to go down in those fields, lay eggs, and if that field is going to go back to corn in 2022, we could have some serious pressures.”

Rowntree says with a higher danger for corn-on-corn acres plus the knowledge of higher nitrogen fertilizer prices and the ability to make money on soybeans, farmers should strongly consider rotating to soybeans next spring to improve the bottom line and knock down some corn rootworm numbers.