Although soil sampling for soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) might not be on most people’s list of favorite autumn chores, fall is a great time to sample fields for this pest.

If you are considering fall application of anhydrous ammonia to corn fields (the only nitrogen fertilizer recommended for fall application), remember to wait until soil temperatures cool to 50 F and continue to trend colder.

There is plenty of information on fall herbicide treatments in the C.O.R.N. newsletter archive and on other university websites. Our philosophy on this has not changed much over the past decade. A few brief reminders follow.

Currently, Johnsongrass is the only grass listed on the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s noxious weeds list.

With the combination of high corn yields, above average precipitation this year, we might see more response to fall nitrogen on our small grain crops.

Traditionally, the recommendation has been NOT to harvest alfalfa 4 to 6 weeks (critical period) before the first killing frost. That is still very safe advice.

From February 16th - March 15th, 2014, we asked No-Till Farmer readers: "When will you make nitrogen applications for the 2014 corn crop? "

We have published articles about fall herbicide treatments in C.O.R.N. over most of the last five years or more. Readers can check the archives for those articles, as our suggestions about fall weed control have not really changed much from year to year. Maybe the best thing we can do here instead of regurgitating the same information is to list some of the questions we have received this year about fall treatments, with answers of course.