Ride Along Series with Strategic Account Manager

Sep 10, 2021
Name: Lauren Liggett
Hometown: Durham, Kansas
Territory: Rice County (Little River, Sterling, Lyons and Claflin)

What are the current growth stages of the crops you are scouting for?
The crops I am scouting for are in the late reproductive to early dry down phase. The dryland corn is currently being harvested, while irrigated acres are about one to two weeks from harvest in the Rice County area. 
The soybeans scouted are about three to four weeks from harvest.

Are you seeing any insect and/or disease pressure? If so, what are you seeing?
In soybeans, I am seeing both insect and disease pressure. Nematodes, stem boars and stink bugs have allstem_boar-2.JPG been seen while scouting. One unique fact about stem boar is their name reflecting the damage it can potentially have on soybeans. They tend to boar into the main stem and eat their way down, taking up the nutrients of the plant. In addition, Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) has been witnessed in several fields. 

Based on the growth stages and environmental factors that you are seeing, what recommendations are you giving your growers today?
Recent recommendations given to growers were to apply late season nitrogen and sulfur applications in soybeans. This helps retain pods, especially in irrigated soybeans, and helps with yield potential. I have also recommended fungicide and insecticide passes to prevent insects and diseases we have seen which helps with plant health retaining pods and overall good yields. Lastly, my soybean recommendations to growers have included the application of Leverage ® 360 , which has a residual built in on it. 

In order to help set a grower up for success, what is one thing you will do in the next 30 days to achieve that goal?
We are gearing up for harvest right now, so I have been encouraging growers to keep their pivots turned on to help that late season stress mitigation. I’m also sure to remind them to make sure combines are set up with Climate Corp FieldView™ and make sure their accounts are up to date.