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Agronomist: crops look good despite disease pressure   

An agronomist with Seed Consultants says farmers should be on the lookout for crop diseases as warm and wet conditions continue in the Midwest.

But, Bill McDonald says there are a few steps farmers should take before applying fungicide.

“Before farmers go out and spray fungicide, they need to check with whoever they bought their seed from and make sure they have a variety that will respond to a fungicide application,” he says. “You might get something, but you won’t get a return on your investment.”

He tells Brownfield there have been some reports of Septoria brown spot.

“It just seems to be worse this year,” he says. “The leaves are turning yellow a lot quicker than normal even on the smaller beans- that’s something to keep an eye on.”

Despite the disease pressure, McDonald says many crops are looking good.

Audio: Bill McDonald, Seed Consultants