5/27/04:  Bean Leaf Beetles counted on a per/ft basis. 1 BLB per/ft row. Feeding should decrease as Over wintering Adults lay eggs. Feeding on unifoliates light. 1st trifoliate just starting to appear. I did notice some Bacterial Blight which is now common on most of our beans in SE Iowa. Population and emergence here was excellent with about 10 beans per ft of row average. We will take more extensive population counts next week. Burndown herbicide treatment of Canopy/Authority/Glyphosate is working very well thus far.

6/9/04: Soybeans V3.  Beans are greening up as weather warms and ground dries.  Nodules look good.  Bean Leaf Beetle are now hard to find.  Still signs of light Bacterial Leaf Blight, although new leaves look fine.  Giant Ragweed and scattering of foxtail coming through the first herbicide treatment.  Probably treat the Ragweed next week late and follow up with grass in 2 weeks.  Splitting treatments for efficacy and in case of Aphids which there were non of today.

6/16/04:  Beans V5 and starting rapid growth period.  Giant Ragweed are also starting to grow fast.  Plan to spray today if rain holds off. No insect problems, few grasshoppers also feeding around grass areas.

6/23/04:  Giant Ragweed starting to crisp up. Beans taking herbicide well.  See no signs of aphids, only a few grasshoppers.  Some bacterial blight and brown spot noticed.

6/28/04.  Soybeans actually V8 only a few blooms noticed.  Se no insect problems.  My biggest concern here is if we get the Giant Ragweed to die from the Flexstar application. Plan to spray with Fusion this week for grass.

7/7/04.  Flexstar failed to kill Giant Ragweed.  Needed to treat for grass, so used Firstrate to get escape Giant Ragweed.  No insect problems.  Brown spot on lower leaves.

7/13/04.  Soybeans R3.  No aphids, few BLB.  Bacterial blight and brown spot light.

7/19/04.  Soybeans R3.  BLB=.5/sweep.  Soybeans R3 growing well now.  Last spots of Giant Ragweed not controlled by .3 oz Firstrate application 10 days ago.  I suspect that the Giant Ragweed left are ALS resistant.  We have had issues in this field before, and it appears with the chemicals applied and how weeds are dying that ALS resistance is probable.

7/21/04.  Soybeans R3.  BLB = .5/sweep. Soybean Aphids = 1/plant.  Checking for aphids and found aphids.  very low count thus far, but present.

7/26/04. Soybeans R4.  BLB=.5/sweep.  Soybean Aphids =.1/plant. BLB  and aphids still light.

8/2/04.  Soybeans R4.  BLB=.3/sweep.  1 aphid/plant.  BLB declining and aphids are light and scattered--very different than last year, as we might have none on some plants, a small colony of 10-15 or a few singles on others.  Aphids actually look less than last week.  soybeans are podded well, but pods are smaller--a lot of twos.

8/09/04.  Soybeans R4.  No BLB or Aphids now.  Do see western bean rootworm beetles feeding in soybeans.  No SDS or white mold in this field so far.

8/20/04.  Soybeans R5.  Disease light, some white mold spots.  Finding a lot of northern corn rootworm beetles feeding on soybean tops and on escape g. ragweed.

8/31/04.  Soybeans R5.  Soon to be turning with pods filling fast.  Some white mold here but not serious.  Still seeing northern corn rootworm beetles feeding here.