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How some farmers are managing tar spot

Tar spot continues to impact yield and challenge farmers across the Corn Belt.

During the Tar Spot Summit by AgReliant Genetics, some farmers discussed how they are managing the disease.

Eastern Iowa Farmer Rod Jurgens experienced yield losses of 25 bushel per acre when tar spot first showed up in his fields in 2017.

Since then, he says he’s been able to better manage the disease.

“Now the fungicides are so much better and have so much more residual and it’s becoming a manageable disease. I shouldn’t say that lightly, but we grow a lot of corn on corn an we think we can manage for it,” he says. “We’re doing a V5 fungicide and following up with a really long-lasting fungicide that gives you 40 days residual. It’s been working really well for us.”

Audio: Rod Jurgens

Southeast Minnesota Farmer Myron Sylling tells Brownfield tar spot showed up in his fields in 2019 and has gotten progressively worse since then.

He saw 20-30 bushel per acre yield losses in 2021 and started using fungicide to address the disease in 2022.

“We implemented using a fungicide pre-tassel and getting very indepth or researching the tar spot ratings of the hybrids we were using,” he says.

Audio: Myron Sylling

The farmers say they will continue to implement these practices in 2023.