Aneta, ND – With the late start on the 2009 growing season, all subsequent field operations are also a little later than normal. Cooperating Farmer Fred Lukens reports than the first pass of pinto bean spraying was completed on the AdFarm North Dakota pinto bean field on Friday, July 3. It was a busy week of spraying on the Lukens farm. In addition to pinto beans, Lukens had spray recommendations for first pass herbicide on soybeans, insecticide spray for barley thrips, and fungicide spray on winter wheat and canola. “We sprayed close to 3,500 acres in one week,” he says.

“We sprayed the pinto beans with one of our smaller older sprayers, and we used our second small sprayer on the soybeans. The big sprayer covered the barley, winter wheat and canola,” Fred explains.

After the pinto beans are sprayed the first time, agronomists recommend waiting at least three days before beginning cultivating operations. This is to allow weeds to completely absorb the herbicide. Cultivating on the AdFarm pinto beans began on July 8, was interrupted for day by a small ¼” rain event, and completed on Friday, July 10.

Weather permitting, Lukens expects a second pass of pinto bean spraying to be completed by July 18 with second pass cultivation the week of July 20.

How’s the rain?

After a very wet spring, the Aneta area has had four or five small rain events that have provided approximately 1.5 inches of rain since the AdFarm pinto beans were seeded on June 3. “Our rainfall for June and the first half of July is below average,” Fred says. “Fortunately the temperatures have been cool and our overall soil moisture is still good. As always, we’ll need timely rain to see this crop reach its potential.”

Farm Tour set for July 28

AdFarm North Dakota Farm shareholders are invited to attend the Farm Tour on July 28th. More information to follow in a Crazy About Farming post.

Follow the crop at http://griggsdakota.blogspot.com