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Field intel and trusted allies help lead the crop to victory
Sept. 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, Great Britain, along with France, declared war on Germany.
In less than a year, France fell and Great Britain stood alone. Newly named Prime Minister Winston Churchill pledged then and repeatedly throughout the war to continue the fight until victory was achieved.
“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never …”
— Winston Churchill (1941)
With dogged determination, help from its allies and constant intelligence from the field, Great Britain refused to quit — and after six years of staying in the fight, Germany was defeated.
For many, the 2026 growing season has felt like one brutal battle after another.
As soybeans and corn enter critical reproductive stages — from bloom to pod fill and tassel to dough — maximizing yield requires keeping Churchill’s mantra in mind and doing what it takes to finish the crop strong.
Use frontline intelligence for real-time decisions
The variability in crop development this season and unpredictable weather conditions make consistent and frequent crop scouting more important than ever, pointed out Scott Pringnitz, Corteva Agriscience technical field agronomist covering Michigan, Ohio and northern Indiana.
“With crops in various stages of growth at this point in the growing season, it’s important to note the crop’s progress and stay vigilant on developing weather conditions,” Pringnitz said, “There are four primary diseases in corn that you’re scouting for: northern corn leaf blight, gray leaf spot, southern rust and tar spot. Tar spot is usually the last among those to get established, but all these diseases have a certain level of weather dependability.
“With some of the corn tasseling later in July, you’re still within the fungicide application window for good control of those diseases with a product that offers multiple modes of action for broad-spectrum control,” he added.
Be mindful of fungicide and insecticide application timing, weather
Jason Gibson, a Corteva Agriscience technical field agronomist in the western Corn Belt, echoed Pringnitz’s emphasis on vigilant scouting.
Gibson reiterated the importance of application timing, particularly the rainfast period needed for optimum fungicide efficacy.
“We often think about rainfast periods when applying herbicides, but many fungicides require a four- to six-hour rainfast period to be absorbed into the cuticle of the corn or soybean plant to get the best disease control,” Gibson said. “Aproach Prima fungicide moves into the plant quickly and is labeled as rainfast one hour after application.”
Additionally, Forcivo™ fungicide is a strong solution for farmers looking for a residual product to protect crop health. With three effective modes of action, farmers who apply Forcivo fungicide get a residual of up to 30 days and preventive and curative activity.
Farmers using center pivot irrigation should be especially mindful when applying fungicide.
“Regardless of the product you choose, it’s important to keep the pivot turned off and to be mindful of impending rain when applying fungicides,” Gibson stressed. “We have seen too many cases where the farmer lost 20 to 30 bushels per acre to southern rust just because the pivot was going during or shortly after application.”
Turn to key allies in the crop protection battle
Just like Churchill, you’re not alone in the battle against insects, diseases and weeds. In addition to frontline intelligence gained through field scouting, the Corteva Agriscience crop protection disease alerts, Crop Protection Network, UNL CropWatch, most land-grant universities and handy apps like Tarspotter provide information on insect and disease movement and risk levels. Talk with your trusted Corteva Agriscience crop protection representative for help in choosing the right product and application timing to beat the pests you’re battling. Your representative is here to help you take the crop to victory at harvest.
Aproach® Prima is not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions.
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