Author: Michael Plumblee

The South Carolina Corn and Soybean Growers Meeting will be held on December 17th, 2024 at the Santee Conference Center. Come hear research updates from the Corn and Soybean Boards, policy updates from American Soybean Association and National Corn Growers Association and visit with our many sponsors in the trade show! Pesticide and CCA credits […]

The results from the 2024 County Corn Hybrid Trials are now available. In 2024, we evaluated 15 different hybrids across eight locations across the state in both irrigated (5 locations) and non-irrigated (3 locations) cropping systems, the results from eight of those locations are included in the attached report. The results of these trials are […]

As we move into the 4th of July weekend, a quick update on where we stand. Scattered showers and storms provided some rainfall over the last week which has helped our dryland situation in cotton, soybean, and peanut. Most of the dryland corn crop tasseled (pollinated) and began reproductive growth during the pop up drought […]

Surviving on tenths of rain is all we are doing right now across SC and the SE USA. High pressure in the North continues to drive moisture to the Gulf and away from the SE at a very water critical time for corn especially. Where irrigation is available, growers need to continue to run pivots […]

As of this week approximately 60% of our corn crop is silking. Tassel/R1 (Silk) is the most water sensitive growth stage of corn, if irrigation is available we need to ensure that we are irrigating corn 2 inches per week minus what is captured through rainfall.  In terms of our non-irrigated acreage, yield will suffer […]

I am sure by now everyone has heard that they have found Southern rust on corn and Soybean rust on kudzu in southwest Georgia. There has been a strong weather pattern of winds and rain blowing from the southwest towards us so it is possible diseases of all types could come in on a storm.  […]

Knowing the correct growth stage on corn and soybean is critical to proper input management. Two Land Grant Press articles were written to serve as a visual guide on how to properly ID both corn and soybean growth stages throughout their lifecycle. The following links will direct you to these Land Grant Publications: Visual Guide […]

The 2024 Corn and Soybean Field Day will be held at Edisto REC in Blackville, SC on Thursday July 25th. The program will start at approximately 8:30 and conclude with a provided lunch on-site. Field Day Flyer A detailed agenda will be available around the first of July.  If you have any questions please contact […]

Corn across SC is at various growth stages and experiencing a wide range of environmental conditions. Much of the state had abundant rainfall most of March, prohibiting field work and fertilizer applications to be made, delaying planting. In other areas, corn was able to get planted early and emerged looking great. As we shifted into […]

The results from the 2023 County Corn Hybrid Trials are now available. In 2023, we evaluated 12 different hybrids across eight locations across the state in both irrigated (4 locations) and non-irrigated (4 locations) cropping systems, the results from eight of those locations are included in the attached report. The results of these trials are […]

On behalf of Clemson Extension and the South Carolina Soybean Board, we hope you make plans to join us in Santee onThursday, December 14th for the 2023 South Carolina Corn and Soybean Growers Meeting! Our keynote presentation will be “Corn and Soybean Drying and Storage: Current Technology and Management” with Dr. Kenneth Hellevang, Extension Engineer and Professor at North Dakota State University. We’re also excited to welcome several other special guests, including: Steve Censky, […]

SOUTH CAROLINA SOYBEAN RUST NEWS NOTE 25 August 2023 FROM:  Jonathan Croft, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, Joe Varn, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, Rogan Gibson, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, and Dr. John Mueller, Extension Soybean Pathologist, Edisto Research and Education Center. At this time, Asian Soybean Rust has NOT been identified in South Carolina. Samples were collected and […]

FROM:  Jonathan Croft, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, Joe Varn, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, Rogan Gibson, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, and Dr. John Mueller, Extension Soybean Pathologist, Edisto Research and Education Center. Currently, Asian Soybean Rust has NOT been identified in South Carolina. Samples were collected and examined from Allendale, Barnwell, Bamberg, Colleton, Dorchester and Orangeburg Counties. Soybean […]

Ph.D. Student Bennett Harrelson does a podcast with NC State University on double crop corn and soybean systems in South Carolina. His research is focusing on best management practices for producers who wish to plant soybean behind corn. Topics include planting dates, maturity groups, hybrid selection, nematode management, row spacing, at-plant nitrogen, and seeding rates. […]

SOUTH CAROLINA SOYBEAN RUST NEWS NOTE 07 August 2023 FROM:  Jonathan Croft, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, Joe Varn, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, Rogan Gibson, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, and Dr. John Mueller, Extension Soybean Pathologist, Edisto Research and Education Center. At this time, Asian Soybean Rust has NOT been identified in South Carolina. Samples were collected and examined from Allendale, Bamberg, Dorchester […]

SOUTH CAROLINA SOYBEAN RUST NEWS NOTE 28 July 2023 FROM:  Jonathan Croft, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, Joe Varn, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, Rogan Gibson, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, and Dr. John Mueller, Extension Soybean Pathologist, Edisto Research and Education Center. At this time, Asian Soybean Rust has NOT been identified in South Carolina. Samples were collected and examined from Allendale, Bamberg, Dorchester […]

SOUTH CAROLINA SOYBEAN RUST NEWS NOTE 21 July 2023 FROM:  Jonathan Croft, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, Joe Varn, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, Rogan Gibson, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, and Dr. John Mueller, Extension Soybean Pathologist, Edisto Research and Education Center. This is the first weekly Soybean Rust News Note for the 2023 growing season.  At this time, Asian Soybean Rust has NOT been identified in […]

Across the state, the earliest planted corn I have looked at is looking very good as we begin to see tassels emerge and pollen shed. In many cases, a lot of our earliest planted corn this year has been under irrigation which sets us up to produce a very good crop. However, we are not […]

As of May 8th, USDA has South Carolina as 96% planted on corn and is on a normal track for progress.  Corn planting this year has been quite a process, with a majority of the crop going in the ground pre-April 1st and then was on pause for some time following Easter due to cold […]

Science for Success is a group of Extension soybean specialists from across the United States that collaborate on assembling Extension and research materials. During March, this group hosted three webinars on topics including: 1. Replant Decisions, 2. Planter Technologies, and 3. Nitrogen Fixation/Sulfur. If you were not able to attend these webinars live, the recordings […]

Soil moisture remains good across the state. Recent rainfall events have made planting and field operations a challenge in certain areas. Corn planted infront of terrential rainfall events (>3 inches) in areas of the state may warrant replanting due to soil crusting and saturated soil conditions.  Corn growth and development is driven by heat unit […]

The warm weather and relatively dry field conditions over the last week have allowed for a significant portion of the corn crop to be planted across the state; the USDA should release the first crop progress report next week. With the rainfall we have received across the region this weekend through tomorrow (3/28), soil moisture […]

The Science for Success team is hosting a spring webinar series “Keys to Early Season Soybean Success”.  Our third webinar will be this Friday, March 31, 2023 “N-Fixation and Sulfur Fertility in Soybeans“ We welcome you to join us for the three webinars and would greatly appreciate your help in spreading the word to farmers, […]

Understanding soybean growth stage is important for making management decisions related to fertility, irrigation, and pest management.  Soybean can be defined into two distinct growth stage groups, vegetative and reproductive. A quick visual guide has been put together to aid in defining soybean growth stages throughout the growing season. Click here: Visual Guide to Soybean […]

Interested in finding out more information about soybean variety selection? Check out this new variety selection factsheet put together by a group of Soybean Extension Specialists from around the United States. Keys to Success: Choosing the Right Soybean Variety Factsheet: https://soybeanresearchinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/20230124_Factsheet_VarietySelection_V2.pdf

Interested in finding out more information about new and existing planter technologies and how they impact soybean? Check out this quick read planter technology factsheet put together by a group of Soybean Extension Specialists from around the United States.  Planter Technologies Factsheet: https://soybeanresearchinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/20230110_Factsheet_PlanterTechnologies_V2.pdf

The Science for Success team is hosting a spring webinar series “Keys to Early Season Soybean Success”.  Our first webinar will be this Friday, March 17, 2023 “When Early Planting Doesn’t  Work Out – Do I Replant, Repair-Plant or Leave This Pitiful Stand?”  We welcome you to join us for the three webinars and would […]

As temperatures begin to warm and soils dry out, many planters will soon be in the field planting field corn around the state. As we look toward the 10-day forcast low temperatures remain the 30’s through the weekend of March 20th and chances of rain increase. A few things to remember as we proceed with planting […]

The results from the 2022 County Corn Hybrid Trials are now available. In 2022, we evaluated 13 different hybrids across eight locations across the state in both irrigated (4 locations) and non-irrigated (4 locations) cropping systems, the results from eight of those locations are included in the attached report. The results of these trials are […]

CORN: Foliar diseases: The only disease that spreads during this type of weather is Southern rust. But we are not seeing this yet in South Carolina. It is present in South Georgia. I am attaching a copy of the “Fungicide Efficacy for Control of Corn Diseases – January 2022” table put out by the “Corn […]

Soybean planting has quickly progressed over the last week, where rainfall has occurred. Hot, dry conditions continue for much of the state, though some places have been receiving a few pop-up showers to keep soil moisture levels adequate. In times of dry conditions keep an eye on fields that may not have received rainfall or […]

I am sure that many of you get various forms of information from other states. Dr. Kemerait in Georgia is very good about sending out updates several times a week, and I am sure there are other specialists who do the same. I thought I would try to send out what we are seeing primarily […]

Farmers across the state have now made it halfway through planting soybean in SC. Dry conditions continue in many places while some places have received rain to preserve soil moisture. Wheat harvest has begun in which approximately 1/3 of our soybean acres will follow. Stand establishment can be challenging following wheat stubble, residue, and straw; […]

Soybean planting continues, and we appear to be on track with our 5-year average. Several parts of the state were fortunate enough to get much-needed rain over the weekend and earlier this week. Hopefully, we can catch more rain this coming weekend to ensure adequate soil moisture for good germination, emergence, and PRE herbicide activation. […]

Soybean planting progressed well over the last week; we are 7 percent ahead of our 5-year average. Dry conditions are plaguing much of the state pausing planting in places where moisture has run out. As we continue through planting season, a few things to think about, first, make sure to plant soybean seed into the […]

Around 10% of soybean acres have been planted across the state, only a few percent behind the 5-year average. As cotton and peanut planting continues and wraps up, I anticipate soybean planted acres will increase rapidly depending on weather conditions. Dry weather across the state has allowed for fieldwork to be conducted but has delayed […]

This spring has been challenging, from increased input costs to low supply and shortages. The weather has been equally challenging across South Carolina so far in 2022. The majority of the corn crop was planted a week to 14 days later than last year due to cool temperatures, soils, and early season rains. We are […]

The South Carolina Corn Production Guide has been updated for 2022 is now available online on the Clemson Agronomic Crops Website. In this guide you will find information and recommendations related to corn production in South Carolina. The link to to view a PDF of the production guide is below. https://www.clemson.edu/extension/agronomy/corn.html

The current supply chain and labor market issues have contributed to shortages of several key pesticide products on the market. Glyphosate is the main herbicide used for pre-plant burndown weed control in corn, cotton, soybean, and peanuts in South Carolina. With that shortage, herbicide costs have skyrocketed in 2022. For growers who cannot obtain enough […]

Soybean Extension Specialists from across the US are working together on a ‘Science for Success’ initiative doing collaborative research and Extension on a variety of topics. Farmers and agronomists are invited to join our free webinar “Misconceptions Across Soybean Growth Stages” on Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 11 am CST/Noon EST. About Science for Success: […]

Save the date for January 27. The SC Cotton Growers’ Annual Meeting is coming back to Santee in 2022 in person. See the attached announcement for additional details. Pesticide/CEU credits will be offered at the meeting.               Click Here to View: Cotton Growers Meeting Flyer and Agenda

Dicamba training will be mandatory again in 2022 for applicators who wish to purchase and apply dicamba herbicide products. Two training programs will be offered in the month of January on Zoom and one in-person training directly following the conclusion of the State Cotton Growers Meeting in Santee, SC on January 25th. Participants will receive […]

The 2021 Clemson Agronomic Crop Variety Trial results are now available online for corn, corn silage, grain sorghum, soybean, small grain, and peanut at the following link. Clemson OVT Data Cotton results will be posted soon. Utilizing OVT data as a tool for hybrid and varietal selection for the 2022 growing season is recommended. Evaluating […]

The results from the 2021 County Corn Hybrid Trials are now available. In 2021, we evaluated 12 different hybrids across eight locations across the state in both irrigated and non-irrigated cropping systems, the results from six of those locations are included in the attached report. The results of these trials are to be used along […]

As of this week, about 60% of our soybean crop has begun dropping leaves, a good sign of full maturity and harvest in the near future. As of October 25, around 10% of the soybean crop has already been harvested. As we progress into harvest a few things to keep in mind are as follows: […]

The South Carolina Corn and Soybean Growers Meeting will resume in 2021. This year’s meeting will consist of an in-person event at the Santee Conference Center in Santee, SC on Wednesday, December 8th, 2021. An updated announcement and agenda will be released in the coming weeks as speakers and schedules are confirmed. If you have […]

There is an opportunity to involve cotton growers in on-farm extension studies to test conservation management practices through an NRCS-funded grant. The first step of the process is to identify growers for this study. I have designed a short survey that should not take more than two minutes to help identify potential partners. Kindly help […]

After much discussion and careful consideration for the health and wellbeing of the public, Clemson University has decided to cancel the 2021 Edisto REC Peanut, Horticulture and Agronomic Crop Field Day planned for September 16th and the 2021 Pee Dee REC Field Day planned for September 29th. We look forward to resuming this field day […]

I hope everyone has had a good weekend. In response to this weekend’s Soybean Rust Update from Jonathan Croft, Joe Varn, and Dr. Mueller about confirming soybean rust on soybean in Bamberg, South Carolina, I wanted to provide a few recommendations as we begin applying fungicides or considering doing so. The crop progress report from […]

SOUTH CAROLINA SOYBEAN RUST NEWS NOTE 28 August 2021 FROM: Jonathan Croft, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, Joe Varn, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, and Dr. John Mueller, Extension Soybean Pathologist, Edisto Research and Education Center. SOYBEAN RUST HAS BEEN DETECTED IN SOUTH CAROLINA. During the week of August 23rd – August 27th samples were examined from […]

Peanut planted near the end of April are near 110 to 120 DAP. Depending on cultivar maturity development and requirements in individual fields, the growing season is starting to draw to a close with harvest of earliest planted fields beginning in the coming weeks. Later plantings and longer maturing runners’ time will come later on. […]

Due to safety concerns Clemson University has decided to delay the 2021 EREC Field Day by 2 weeks. The new target date is Thursday, September 16th. If developments between now and then further affect the situation or result in a cancellation, this information will be shared as soon as it becomes available.

On August 20th from 10:00am-Noon a drop-in will be held at the dryland corn hybrid strip trial located in the field at the intersection of Mt. Olive Rd and Hwy 176.  This directly across Hwy 176 in front of Mt Olive Ame Church (4630 Old State Rd, Holly Hill, SC 29059).  Dr. Michael Plumblee, Extension […]

SOUTH CAROLINA SOYBEAN RUST NEWS NOTE 14 August 2021 FROM: Jonathan Croft, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, Joe Varn, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, and Dr. John Mueller, Extension Soybean Pathologist, Edisto Research and Education Center. SOYBEAN RUST HAS NOT BEEN DETECTED IN SOUTH CAROLINA AS OF 14 August 2021. During the week of August 8th – […]

Clemson University has scheduled an in-person field day at the Edisto Research and Education Center in Blackville, SC for September 2nd, 2021. Registration will be from 8-9AM. The morning program will consist of concurrent peanut and horticultural crop programs followed by lunch. After lunch an agronomic crops (cotton, corn, soybean) session will begin and conclude at 4PM. Please […]

Overall, our soybean crop in South Carolina is off to a decent start. Rains in early June delayed some small grain harvest thus delaying planting of our double crop soybean acres. The August 2nd crop progress report for South Carolina has SC at 60% bloom and 15% setting pods. At these growth stages, (R1-R3) soybean […]

Over the last few years, interest in “yield improving” row crop planter modifications, add-ons, and technologies have been topics of discussion for growers. While there is benefit from various technologies in specific row crops, the jury is still out on every technology and new product contributing to yield (and profit) in every crop grown in […]

SOUTH CAROLINA SOYBEAN RUST NEWS NOTE 30 July 2021 FROM: Jonathan Croft, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, Joe Varn, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, and Dr. John Mueller, Extension Soybean Pathologist, Edisto Research and Education Center. SOYBEAN RUST HAS NOT BEEN DETECTED IN SOUTH CAROLINA AS OF 30 JULY 2021. During the week of July 26th – […]

SOUTH CAROLINA SOYBEAN RUST NEWS NOTE 26 July 2021 FROM: Jonathan Croft, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, Joe Varn, Clemson Extension Agronomic Agent, and Dr. John Mueller, Extension Soybean Pathologist, Edisto Research and Education Center. SOYBEAN RUST HAS NOT BEEN DETECTED IN SOUTH CAROLINA AS OF 25 JULY 2021. During the week of July 19th – […]

As we continue to progress through the growing season, many growers are beginning to service and set up equipment for corn harvest. This is an excellent time to check yield monitor components if you wish to collect and record yield data. The July 19th crop progress report for South Carolina estimates that 26% of the […]

In the last two weeks, most of us have received large amounts of rainfall. Daily rainfall of over 2 inches was observed in many areas and several places got 5+ inches of rain in those two weeks. In general, the rainfall was good for crops. However, it also increased our odds of getting foliar diseases […]

Corn Everyone had to watch as Elsa passed over South Carolina over the last few days. Fortunately, for the most part if you were off the coast rainfall and winds stayed in the manageable levels.  However, it very well may have blown spores into our state for several diseases including Southern rust on corn, soybean […]

CORN Fungicides As we close in on the 4th of July, we need to consider our possible fungicide applications on corn and soybean. Weather is one of the big drivers for foliar diseases in both of these crops.  The worst-case scenario is not a mid-afternoon thunderstorm which delivers 1+ inches of rain but then the […]

The majority of our corn crop is at VT or R1 and this is the appropriate time to start making the decision whether or not to spray a fungicide. Observations from South Carolina corn fields: At the Edisto REC Dr. Plumblee and I have walked several fields and the corn is very clean when it […]

The South Carolina Soybean Production Guide has been updated for 2021 is now available online on the Clemson Agronomic Crops Website. In this guide you will find information and recommendations related to soybean production in South Carolina. The link to to view a PDF of the production guide is below. www.clemson.edu/extension/agronomy/soybeans/html

Virtual Meetings were held in February 2021 to provide an update on corn and soybean production in South Carolina. By participating in this program, producers were updated on new information for the 2021 growing season. At the conclusion of the panel update, time was available for any questions related to corn or soybean production. The […]

As many of you know, temperatures across the state did drop below freezing last Thursday and Friday nights. I have heard some reports of temperatures dropping to 28 F or below in specific areas that had corn planted. Since we have had 5-7 days since the freezing weather, we should now be able to assess corn stands and mortality […]

As a follow-up to my previous post on Sunday (3/28) I wanted to discuss what we can expect from the cold temperatures tonight and tomorrow regarding recently planted and young corn. The National Weather Service is now projecting the low for Blackville, SC to be 34 F, 32 F & 36 F over the next […]

I hope everyone’s 2021 planting season or fieldwork season has started off smooth. I wanted to reach out with a few things to consider this week with regards to planting corn. If you have noticed the 7-day forecast for this week (3/28 – 4/4), our Easter cold snap is right on time. Nighttime temperatures will […]

A Virtual Meeting was held on February 25th, 2021 to provide an update on cotton production in South Carolina. By participating in this program, producers were updated on new information for the 2021 growing season. At the conclusion of the panel update, time was available for any questions related to cotton production. The speakers for […]