Should I Use a Harvest Aid in Soybean in Wisconsin…. Probably Not……

Expanding farm sizes and unpredictable harvest weather increase the risk of soybean yield and quality loss, especially when harvest delays past physiological maturity (R8) lead to over-dry seeds and pod shatter. To address these operational bottlenecks, the Science for Success team evaluated desiccant harvest aids across 19 sites in 13 states in 2024. For the full national trial results, read our publication, Impact of Harvest Aid on Soybean. For a quick summary tailored to Wisconsin growers, read more here:

Top 9 Recommendations for Winter Wheat Establishment in 2026

1. Variety selection: please see the 2026 WI Winter Wheat Performance Test
2. Plant new seed (DO NOT plant saved seed).
3. A fungicide seed treatment is recommended for winter wheat in WI, especially for seed damaged by Fusarium head blight (FHB).
4. Cephalosporium stripe is increasing in occurrence in Wisconsin. Use the 2025 WI Winter Wheat Performance Test data to choose a wheat variety with good partial resistance to this disease.

For the last five recommendations, read more below:

Predicting Cereal Rye Biomass Accumulation and Termination Timing

As grain harvest approaches, some farmers are also gearing up for cover crop planting season. This year, UW Madison Extension has put together a publication to inform farmers on when to terminate cereal rye cover crops to meet conservation goals. Adding to these resources is a new tool that uses the existing Crop Protection Network’s Crop Risk Tool platform to predict cereal rye biomass accumulation using weather forecasts for the next two weeks to help farmers more accurately dial in their termination timing to meet their desired cover crop goals.  

• The original cereal rye biomass thresholds to meet cover crop goals publication

• The biomass accumulation prediction tool integrated into the Crop Risk Tool. In the third panel, under “Group”, click “Cover Crops” and “Winter Cereal Rye Biomass”.

• The publication explaining the new tool

Trying Out Camelina as a Cover Crop? 

UW Extension has been conducting research on winter camelina as a new cover crop for Wisconsin to determine if it can avoid the yield drag that some farmers have experienced with corn following winter cereal cover crops, especially later terminated cereal rye. We put together a two page information summarizing management of camelina and the results from the first few years of our research. We are continuing to conduct research on camelina’s effect on seedling disease, pest populations, and weeds in the following corn crop in Dane, Dodge, and several other counties.

Feel free to reach out to Will Fulwider, Extension Regional Crops Educator, Dane and Dodge Counties, 608-220-3577 or will.fulwider@wisc.edu if you have any questions about camelina as a cover crop.  

Corn Silage Dry Down Monitoring Tool

During this time of harvest it is important to do it at the correct whole plant moisture, and the first step is to make high quality silage, and we have only one opportunity to do it correctly each season. We understand how important this is. To support you during this time we invite you to use this tool. This application provides monitoring of whole corn plant moisture, planting dates, and hybrid relative maturity, helping farmers, crop advisors, and agricultural researchers to make data-driven decisions regarding proper corn silage harvest to meet farm forage quality goals.