Treated Soybean Seed
CEO Report by Doug Miller
It has come to our attention that farmers may still have treated soybean seed that was not planted this spring.
First, treated seed must be handled and disposed of properly. Keep all treated seed out of the commodity grain channels. Visit http://www.seed-treatment-guide.com/ for more information on the disposal of treated seed.
Watch for Flags
Field Services Report by Matt Raymond, RGT - Field Services Director
Phytosanitary Field Inspections
IL Crop’s accreditation to perform phytosanitary field inspections is granted through the National Seed Health System (NSHS). To maintain our phytosanitary field inspection accreditation IL Crop must pass a NSHS re-accreditation audit of our inspection process every three years. NSHS audited our systems this summer and we have passed and been re-accredited for another three years.
Fusarium in Wheat
Seed Lab Report by Steve Beals, RST - Seed Lab Director
Fusarium Prevalent in the 2019 Wheat Production
2019 has proven to be a challenge this year with many of the cereal crops that have been sent into the seed lab for germination testing showing significant amounts of Fusarium. The severity of infection varies field by field indicating that this year’s wet weather was a factor. We have found that seed treatment has been beneficial for some seed lots and that planting in sand has helped improve the germination. However, with the sand germination, we do not record Abnormal seedlings (they are included with dead seed), and we do not give a fusarium reading for the sample. The seed treatment that we have been using in the lab, unless we have a specific request, has been Mertect 340-F (ia. Thiabendazole). Attached is a chart that shows the 2019 Wheat germination averages for the regions of the state.
Two Years After Maria
Puerto Rico Winter Farm Report - by Lizandro Perez, Station Manager
Two years after Hurricane Maria and I can say that most things are back to normal with the exception of some families that are still using tarps on their roofs because they have not had the chance or the resources to fix their houses. Some of the island infrastructures are pending repairs or the repairs are in progress. We are on the peak of the hurricane season and the farm area is still under a severe drought, but it may change soon because the farm received some rain and we are expecting more rain during the month of September. 60% of the island is under normal weather conditions. The water we use for irrigation is from deep wells and the levels are normal.