Southwest Michigan Field Crops Update – July 3, 2025

Jul 07, 2025

By Nicolle Ritchie and Angie Gradiz

Weather  

While slightly cooler than our previous week of highs in the 90s, the past week was still quite warm and humid. Precipitation late last week helped relieve crop stress from dry soil, and scattered showers on Monday, June 30, resulted in various amounts of rainfall throughout southwest Michigan. Storms will develop this weekend and will bring some chances for rainfall, but overall the next week is expected to be quite dry and with temperatures similar to those of the past week.

Crops

Crops and pests  

Soybeans are in late vegetative stages and early reproductive stages. Cleanup herbicide applications went out this past week, as did some white mold preventative fungicides. Hot temperatures contributed to higher instances of soybean response to post herbicides, but soybeans are very resilient, and in most cases, the damage is only cosmetic and not expected to affect yield. As flowering approaches or has started, glufosinate can be applied until R1, and glyphosate can be applied through R2. Fungicides to prevent white mold should be applied between R1 and R3, with data showing higher efficacy when applied closer to R1.

Corn is on average between V8 and V10. Nitrogen continued to go out, and other field activities included herbicide application and rogueing of earlier planted seed corn. European corn borer (ECB) was found in non-traited corn in St. Joseph County. Scout for it in vulnerable corn varieties by checking for feeding damage, frass and larvae in the whorl. Tar spot was recently confirmed in four more northern Indiana counties, but data shows that the best timing for a single fungicide application is still between VT and R3-4.

Most winter wheat is at Feekes 11.2, where the kernel is at a soft dough stage and can be easily divided with a thumbnail. As wheat ripens, decisions on what to plant afterward must be made. For those thinking of following wheat with soybeans, the article Considering double-crop soybeans after a winter cereal this year? addresses irrigation, planting, profitability and soybean management decisions to consider for double-cropping. For those thinking of following wheat with a cover crop, the Midwest Cover Crops Council has a cover crop recipe for planting after wheat going into corn or soybean, and the fact sheet Cover crop tolerance to winter wheat herbicides has helpful charts for cover crop sensitivity to common wheat herbicides.

Source : msu.edu
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