In this dry year where drought stress may already be taking a toll on crops, it’s important to stay ahead of insects, disease, and other early-season issues.
Nebraska Extension is rolling out a new, short-form social media push called “Scout Nebraska” to share what they’re seeing in fields and share it quickly.
Talon Mues said, “Scout Nebraska is just kind of a way to kind of combine everybody’s efforts so that people know exactly what’s going on in the field at that time… we want to get information out to these farmers as quick as possible. That way they can make informed decisions.”
The posts on Facebook, X, and YouTube include videos and photos to demonstrate conditions and recommendations.
Early-season scouting can help separate drought and freeze injury from insect feeding or disease, and can flag problems before they spread.
“Drought was a big concern as well as, freeze injury, kind of burning the tips of those leaves, maybe even get into the heads because wheat was pretty far ahead with how warm this winter was. And so those were some of the big concerns. We’ve got weevils popping up in alfalfa kind of camp all over the place,” Mues said. “Drought concerns are really big right now. I mean, that is what everybody is concerned about. And so really just make sure that you’re getting out, check checking your stance, all those kinds of things and see what we can do.”
He encourages producers and others to check out “Scout Nebraska” on Facebook and YouTube.