Seasonal Guide · June 2025 · 5 min read
Regular field walks during the summer growing season catch problems early when they are cheapest to fix. A consistent scouting routine turns reactive firefighting into proactive management.
Walk fields in a W or Z pattern, stopping at five or more locations to examine 20 consecutive plants at each stop. Bring a hand lens, knife, and notebook or phone app for recording observations. Scout early in the morning when insects are less active and leaf tissue is turgid, making symptoms easier to identify.
Accurately staging your crop is critical for timing inputs like fungicides, insecticides, and late-season nitrogen. In corn, split stalks to confirm the number of visible leaf collars and reproductive stage. In soybeans, count nodes from the unifoliolate and check for flower, pod, or seed development at the upper four nodes to determine the R stage.
Flip leaves to check undersides for aphids, mites, and fungal lesions. Note the percentage of plants affected and the severity on individual plants. Compare what you find against published economic thresholds before making a spray decision—many low-level pest populations are held in check by natural enemies and never reach economic levels.
☑ Stay on track with our seasonal checklist:
Try the Farm Check