Nicole Fiorellino, Extension Agronomist | nfiorell@umd.edu University of Maryland, College Park
Please find attached a copy of the 2023 Corn Hybrid Trials results performed annually at multiple UMD Research and Education Centers. The factsheet can also be downloaded from the MD Crops website at https://psla.umd.edu/extension/md-crops. Many thanks to Louis Thorne and Joe Crank for their leadership and management of the trials, from seed organization, to planting, to harvest. These trials could not be completed without them.
We are grateful for the funding provided by Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board to support these trials. MGPUB provides our program with checkoff funding to support applied agricultural research and generate results that directly benefit Maryland producers.
The Maryland Grain Producers are offering a total of $15,000 through seven scholarships for the 2024 to 2025 school year. There are three different scholarship opportunities for Grain Producer Members and non-members. Applications are due online by January 31st.
“The number of strong applications received for the first year of our new program showed our board the value and need to support all of our members and those interested in agriculture.” said Maryland Grain Producer Association President, Justin Brendel. The three different scholarship opportunities are outlined below.
Maryland Grain Honoree Scholarship
Awarding three scholarships in the amount of $3,000 each.
Must be a member of the Maryland Grain Producers Association.
Must be attending a secondary education school studying agriculture or working towards a degree to directly benefit the agriculture industry.
Maryland Grain Membership Scholarship
Awarding two scholarships in the amount of $2,000 each.
Must be a member of the Maryland Grain Producers Association.
Must be attending a secondary education school, with any area of study.
Maryland Grain Production Scholarship
Awarding two scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each.
Must be attending a secondary education school studying agriculture or working towards a degree to directly benefit the agriculture industry.
For the three different opportunities all applicants are only eligible to receive a scholarship two times and only eligible to apply for one of the three scholarships available. One’s family farm may not have requested Maryland grain checkoff refunds in the last 12 months. Lastly, graduate students are ineligible to apply.
In addition to our scholarship program, those eligible for the Honoree and Membership Scholarship, as well as grad students, would be eligible for the National Corn Growers Scholarships, please visit their website here to learn more and apply online.
For more information and to apply online for our 2024 scholarship program, visit our website at MarylandGrain.org/Scholarship-3/. Please contact our team if you have any questions.
Attached is the summary for the October 2023 WASDE.
Corn
This month’s 2023/24 U.S. corn outlook is for reduced supplies, lower feed and residual use and exports, and smaller ending stocks. Corn production is forecast at 15.064 billion bushels, down 70 million on a cut in yield to 173.0 bushels per acre. Corn supplies are forecast at 16.451 billion bushels, a decline of 160 million bushels from last month, with lower production and beginning stocks. Exports are reduced by 25 million bushels reflecting smaller supplies and slow early-season demand. Feed and residual use is down 25 million bushels based on lower supply. With supply falling more than use, corn ending stocks for 2023/24 are lowered 110 million bushels. The season-average corn price received by producers is raised 5 cents to $4.95 per bushel.
Soybean
Soybean production is forecast at 4.1 billion bushels, down 42 million on lower yields. Harvested area is unchanged at 82.8 million acres. The soybean yield is projected at 49.6 bushels per acre, down 0.5 bushels from the September forecast. The largest production changes are for Kansas, Michigan, and Nebraska. With lower production partly offset by higher beginning stocks, supplies are reduced 24 million bushels. Soybean exports are reduced 35 million bushels to 1.76 billion with increased competition from South America. Soybean crush is projected at 2.3 billion bushels, up 10 million, driven by higher soybean meal exports and soybean oil domestic demand. Soybean oil domestic use is raised in line with an increase for 2022/23. With lower exports partly offset by increased crush, ending stocks are unchanged from last month at 220 million bushels.
Wheat
The outlook for 2023/24 U.S. wheat this month is for higher supplies, increased domestic use, unchanged exports, and higher ending stocks. Supplies are raised 85 million bushels, primarily on higher production as reported in the NASS Small Grains Annual Summary, released September 29. Domestic use is raised 30 million bushels, all on higher feed and residual use. The NASS Grain Stocks report released September 29 indicated a higher year-to-year increase for first quarter (June-August) domestic disappearance than previously expected. Exports remain at 700 million bushels with several offsetting by-class changes. Projected ending stocks are raised by 55 million bushels to 670 million, up 15 percent from last year. The season average farm price is reduced $0.20 per bushel to $7.30 on higher projected stocks and expectations for futures and cash prices for the remainder of the marketing year.
Andrew Kness, Senior Agriculture Agent | akness@umd.edu University of Maryland Extension, Harford County
During the month of September we have confirmed the presence of tar spot of corn in four additional counties in Maryland. Fields with tar spot in Queen Anne’s and Kent County were found on September 19, Baltimore County on September 22, and Caroline County on September 25, and Dorchester County on October 6. This brings the confirmed distribution from Carroll County east to Cecil and south on the shore to Dorchester County (Figure 1). In my scouting travels a few weeks ago on the eastern shore, I was able to find tar spot in two out of a dozen fields that I visited.
Figure 1. Tar spot confirmed distribution as of October 9, 2023. Map downloaded from https://corn.ipmpipe.org/tarspot/.
Note that this is the confirmed distribution—this is not to say that you will not find it outside of these reported counties; as a matter of fact, I’d be surprised if it’s not out there in several other areas across the state. As you harvest corn this fall, it might not be a bad idea to hop out of the cab and check around. Tar spot can still be visible on dry, senesced tissue. The signs of tar spot are dark black, raised spots that resemble spattered black paint (Figure 2). These spots are the reproductive structures of the fungus, Phyllachora maydis. These structures, called stromata, are embedded in the leaf tissue, are slightly raised (visible under a hand lens), and cannot be rubbed or scratched off the leaf.
Figure 2. Signs of tar spot on corn.
When you are scouting you may notice several look-alikes that can fool you. Insect frass (poop) is one that looks very similar but you can wipe the spots off the leaf. You may also notice other fungi present on senesced tissue, giving the leaves a black appearance. These fungi are not tar spot but are instead secondary decomposers—i.e. they colonize dead plant tissue. You can distinguish these fungi from tar spot by looking closely at the spots. Tar spot will be strikingly dark black against the dead tissue and slightly raised, whereas these secondary fungi are less distinct and not raised (Figure 3). Also, tar spot infections start on green tissue that is still alive, so check the few green leaves that are still present for signs.
Figure 3. Tar spot on a senesced corn leaf vs. look-a-likes. Stromata are still easily visible on dead leaves. Dull, faded/blurred spots are not tar spot.
As far as management considerations for this year and moving into 2024: tillage has varied success and generally has very little effect on tar spot. While tar spot does overwinter on old crop residue and tillage can help accelerate residue decomposition, research from the Midwest has shown highly inconsistent responses to tillage for managing tar spot. A couple of reasons for this is because tar spot can be wind-blown short distances; and with the concentration of corn fields present in many areas of the state, inoculum can blow into “clean” fields from nearby infected fields. Another reason that tillage doesn’t have a major effect is because most tillage equipment (besides a moldboard plow) leaves at least some residue on the soil surface. Those exposed crop residues can be enough to get an infection started the following year.
A more effective management tactic to consider is hybrid genetics. While there is no complete resistance to tar spot, there are hybrids that tolerate it much better than others. Using more resistant hybrids next year can help manage this disease, especially in fields where you suspect that tar spot could be an issue. In addition, you can use planting date and hybrid maturity to your advantage. The combination of early planting and a early-maturing hybrids can be used to “avoid” tar spot infections by having corn beyond its critical growth stages (VT-R2) before cooler weather sets in later in the season, which is favorable to tar spot infection.
Kelly Hamby, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, University of Maryland and
David Owens, Extension Entomologist, University of Delaware
Figure 1. Barley Yellow Dwarf patch in a field of malting barley, March 2023. Photo: David Owens, Univ. of Delaware.
Last season, aphids transmitted an unusual amount of barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) to wheat and barley across the Delmarva Peninsula. BYDV is particularly important when it infects plants in the fall. Fall BYDV infections can stunt plants (noticed as early as green-up, Figure 1) and cause more serious yield loss than spring infections. Our most common small grain aphid species are bird cherry oat aphid (Figure 2) and English grain aphid, although bird cherry oat aphid are associated with greater and more severe incidence of BYDV.
Figure 2. Bird cherry-oat aphids.
Historically, planting after the Hessian fly-free date (Table 1) reduced the likelihood of fall BYDV infection. However, fly-free dates were calculated more than 100 years ago, and it is now not uncommon for our first killing frosts to occur in late October or even November. Long falls with milder weather allow more time for aphids to colonize fields and potentially transmit the virus. Small grains varieties vary in their susceptibility to BYDV, and planting varieties with at least some tolerance can help. Unfortunately, resistant varieties are not available in barley. Finally, monitoring and managing the aphid vectors may be necessary.
Identifying bird cherry-oat aphid: A magnifying hand lens is required to identify aphids. Bird cherry-oat aphid ranges from orange green to olive green to greenish black. Wingless individuals typically have a reddish orange patch around the base of the cornicles (tail pipes). Winged individuals tend to be very dark. Their legs, cornicles, and antennae are similar in color to their bodies and medium in size.
Monitoring and thresholds: Typically, monitoring aphids in the fall and at green-up provides the best chance of identifying and mitigating BYDV risk. Scout ten locations per field avoiding field margins and look at 1 ft of row in each, making sure to look at the crown (at or below ground level), at the stem, and on the undersides of leaves. English grain aphids tend to feed on the uppermost portions of the plants while bird cherry oat aphids tend to cluster on the lower portions, especially in barley.
University extension threshold recommendations vary by region. In southern states, 6 aphids/row-ft is considered justification for a treatment in the fall. North Carolina uses a threshold of 20 aphids/row-ft where BYDV has been a problem and cold weather is not in the 7 day forecast. For other small grains, consider increasing the threshold to 25-50 aphids per foot of row.
In 2022, one of the malting barley fields sampled averaged 17 aphids per row-ft in early November. Because of unusually warm winter weather in which average temperatures were greater than 38 degrees, aphid populations peaked in one field at 235 aphids per row-ft that had averaged 1.8 per row-ft in November. This highlights the need to regularly monitor aphid populations during periods of mild weather.
Natural enemies: A number of natural enemies feed upon or parasitize aphids and they often do a good job keeping aphid populations down. One natural enemy per 50-100 aphids should be sufficient to control aphid populations. In addition, they are good at finding aphids even when their populations are low. Small wasps that develop within aphids leaving behind “mummy” aphids (Figure 3A), lady beetles, lacewing larvae (Figure 3B), and flower fly larvae (Figure 3C) are especially common aphid natural enemies. Insecticides will also kill these natural enemies.
Figure 3. Aphid natural enemies A) parasitoid wasp and golden or tan colored “mummy” aphids, B) lacewing larva eating aphids, C) flower fly larva eating aphids. Images: David Cappaert, Bugwood.org.
Insecticides: Seed treatments (e.g., Cruiser, Gaucho) provide some protection from fall aphids, but do not continue to provide protection into the spring and are not economic in years where aphids do not occur. Due to the differences in economics and BYDV susceptibility of malting barley varieties, seed treatments may be more useful than in feed barley or wheat. We generally recommend a foliar insecticide when aphid populations reach threshold. Small grain aphids are generally quite susceptible to insecticides. Pyrethroid products (e.g., Warrior) or a pyrethroid-neonicotinoid mix (e.g., Endigo, labeled for barley only) work well for aphid control.
Table 1. Hessian fly-free dates for Maryland and Delaware counties
Flanders, K., Herbert, A., Buntin, D., Johnson, D., Bowen, K., Murphy, J. F., Chapin, J., Hagan, A. 2006. Barley Yellow Dwarf in Small Grains in the Southeast. https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/files/efpdf1/ef150.pdf.
November 14-16, 2023 | Princess Royale Oceanfront Resort, Ocean City, MD
About the School
The school offers a 2 ½-day in person format with a variety of breakout sessions. Individuals needing training in soil and water, nutrient management, crop management, and pest management can create their own schedule by choosing from 5 program options offered each hour. Emphasis is placed on new and advanced information with group discussion and interaction encouraged.
Who Should Attend
This school is designed for anyone interested in crop management issues, including:
agronomists
crop consultants
extension educators
farmers and farm managers
pesticide dealers, distributors, and applicators
seed and agrichemical company representatives
soil conservationists
state department of agriculture personnel
Continuing Education Credits
The 2023 Mid-Atlantic Crop Management School will offer CCA continuing education units (CEUs) approved by the Certified Crop Adviser Program in the following categories:
Crop Management
Professional Development
Pest Management
Sustainability
Soil & Water Management
Nutrient Management
Total CEUs earned will depend on course selection. This school also provides Pesticide Recertification Credits for DE, MD, NJ, PA, WV, and VA and continuing education for Nutrient Management Consultants in DE, MD, PA, VA, and WV.
Registration Information
The early-bird registration fee (recommended to ensure a place in the sessions of your choice) is $325 if received by October 13th; $375 if received by November 6th. Registration will close on Monday, November 6th at 11:59 p.m. ET or when enrollment reaches capacity. Payment of registration fee entitles you to participation in 2½ days of sessions, materials, 3 continental breakfasts, 2 lunches, and refreshment breaks.
*New for 2023: The Mid-Atlantic CCA Board will be hosting an off-site reception on Wednesday November 15th, with transportation and refreshments sponsored by the Board. Please RSVP for the reception when you register for the event as seating at the reception is limited.
The 2023 event booklet and description of courses can be found here. Please read over the classes prior to registration as you will be required to select all of your courses during the registration process.
Feel free to contact Taylor Garrett, tgarret1@umd.edu or Dr. Nicole Fiorellino, nfiorell@umd.edu with any questions.
We look forward to an exciting and educational filled 2023 Mid-Atlantic Crop School with you!
Attached is the summary for the September 2023 WASDE.
Corn
This month’s 2023/24 U.S. corn outlook is for slightly larger supplies and ending stocks. Projected beginning stocks for 2023/24 are 5 million bushels lower based on mostly offsetting trade and corn used for ethanol changes for 2022/23. Corn production for 2023/24 is forecast at 15.1 billion bushels, up 23 million from last month as greater harvested area more than offsets a reduction in yield. The national average yield is forecast at 173.8 bushels per acre, down 1.3 bushels. Harvested area for grain is forecast at 87.1 million acres, up 0.8 million. Total U.S. corn use is unchanged at 14.4 billion. With supply rising slightly and use unchanged, ending stocks are up 19 million bushels to 2.2 billion. The season-average corn price received by producers is unchanged at $4.90 per bushel.
Soybeans
U.S. soybean supply and use changes for 2023/24 include lower beginning stocks, production, crush, exports, and ending stocks. Lower beginning stocks reflect an increase for exports in 2022/23. Soybean production is projected at 4.1 billion bushels, down 59 million with higher harvested area offset by a lower yield. Harvested area is raised 0.1 million acres from the August forecast. The soybean yield of 50.1 bushels per acre is down 0.8 bushels from last month. The soybean crush forecast is reduced 10 million bushels and the export forecast is reduced 35 million bushels on lower supplies. Ending stocks are projected at 220 million bushels, down 25 million from last month. The U.S. season-average soybean price is forecast at $12.90 per bushel, up $0.20 from last month. The soybean meal price is unchanged at $380 per short ton and the soybean oil price is raised 1.0 cent to 63.0 cents per pound. Other changes this month include higher peanut and lower cottonseed production.
Wheat
The 2023/24 U.S. all wheat outlook for supply and use is unchanged this month with offsetting by-class changes on exports. The projected 2023/24 season-average farm price is also unchanged at $7.50 per bushel.
The registration for 2023 Mid-Atlantic Crop Management School is live! Registration is through Eventbrite this year and all information about the event, including program booklet and registration link, can be found here: https://bit.ly/MidAtlanticCropSchool. New for 2023 the Mid-Atlantic CCA Board will be hosting an off-site evening reception on Tuesday November 14th. Please register for this limited seating reception when you register for the event.
Reports are for crop conditions up to September 7, 2023.
Western Maryland
Still dry! Pasture is all but gone. Corn silage harvest is well underway. Some areas have gotten some timely rains and their beans and corn will Fair better. Most double crop beans are suffering. So send rain, we will welcome it.—Jeff Semler, Washington Co.
Central Maryland
Crops are drying down quickly in this hot, dry weather. Corn harvest is underway, with soybeans to follow shortly. With the drought, grass hay did not grow back as quickly, reducing third cutting. Remember to stay hydrated in this heat!—Kelly Nichols, Montgomery Co.
Northern Maryland
We have received very little rain over the past 4 weeks, causing the rapid dry down of crops. Most corn is denting and quickly approaching black layer and full season soybeans are starting to drop leaves; some due to maturity and some due to lack of moisture. Most corn ears look decent, so the bulk of the crop should make an ok yield, although the further west you go in the region the more severe the drought has been. Soybeans on the other hand are quite variable with some small pods and small beans. Double crop soybeans are especially hurting. Corn silage chopping has been in full swing for about two weeks now; corn grain harvest will not be far off. We did find tar spot in several fields in Harford county, but all at very low levels that should not affect yield. Many acres of cover crop have been flown into standing corn and it could use some rain to germinate. Pasture and hay is suffering in the heat and drought.—Andy Kness, Harford Co.
Upper and Mid Shore
Hopefully by the time this is being read, we are thankful about rains on the weekend of the 9th/10th!! Parts of the upper shore region are drier now than anytime this growing season. Most of the corn is mature and drying fast. Late corn is dying fast. Early maturing beans look good and are dropping leaves. Late maturing beans and double crop beans are dropping leaves also – due to drought! Corn harvest will be starting by the time this is printed with bean harvest beginning the following week. Cover crop seeding is well underway. Hay quality and yield have been phenomenal recently.—Jim Lewis, Caroline Co.
Lower Shore
Corn is drying down. Both full season and double crop soybean are looking good. Full season soybean is on average in early reproductive stages. The crop dusters have been flying, aerially seeding cover crops. Herbicide-resistant palmer amaranth and marestail have escaped management in some fields and precautions should be taken during harvest to prevent seed spread. If at all possible, palmer amaranth should be hand pulled at this point in the season.—Sarah Hirsh, Somerset Co.
Southern Maryland
In the last report I noted that we continued to receive rain just in the nick of time. Well our luck has run out. Conditions are very dry across the majority of Southern Maryland. As a result, corn is drying down, whether it’s ready or not. Corn harvest is in full swing with reports of good to very good yields for early planted corn. I suspect the majority of the corn crop corn was made when the drought started. Beans are another story. Double crop beans are affected the most, with many fields failing to recover overnight and patches on knolls or sandy areas dying. Full season beans planted early were also mostly made and are drying down now; though bean size is probably going to be smaller. Deer damage is readily apparent in later planted beans that are failing to re-grow or canopy following deer feeding. Of course these fields are hot spots for weeds, including common ragweed and the pigweeds.—Ben Beale, St. Mary’s Co.
