Heavy rains, strong winds, hail and even tornadoes leave their mark on fields across the Midwest every year.

Several reports from fields in parts of the state with repeated saturating rains are reporting high amounts of damping-off of soybean or corn.

Record-high populations of alfalfa weevils are present this year. Monitoring for alfalfa weevils has been conducted since the last week of April and it wasn't until the last week of May that significant numbers were observed.

Some of the storms and extremely high winds this spring have caused significant stalk breakage in some corn fields.

Dicamba, Liberty and atrazine are the most effective options for controlling marestail post-emergence in corn, and atrazine alone may not kill larger plants.

Aphids are commonly found in alfalfa, and their feeding damage results in yellowing and stunted plant growth, along with transmission of different plant viruses.

Fields that flowered 2 to 3 weeks ago will be starting to show the symptoms of head scab now. These symptoms are easiest to see before the wheat turns straw-colored.

Should you consider double-cropping soybeans after wheat this year? If soil moisture is adequate and wheat harvest is timely, planting soybeans can be an option for adding profit.

A Kansas State University senior agricultural economist says there's a 70% chance an El Nino will arrive this fall and that's good news for the United States. Jay O'Neil, an instructor and specialist at the university's International Grains Program, says what happens with El Nino will affect worldwide crop production. El Nino, which is the warming of the sea temperatures off the coast of Peru, is expected to affect crops during September, October and November.