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Take It to the Next Acre: Lessons From 2026
Every growing season teaches a lesson or two. Sometimes, it confirms that a management strategy is working. Other times, it leaves farmers sitting in the combine cab thinking, “We’re doing that differently next year.”
The 2026 season delivered plenty of both. Weather challenged application timing, weeds tested control programs and diseases kept farmers scouting. As harvest gets underway, it’s a good time to look back at what worked, what didn’t and how those lessons can help shape plans for 2027.
If there was one lesson that stood out this season, it was about the value of starting the season with a strong weed control program.
“We saw the value of using a strong preemergence herbicide program with multiple effective modes of action,” said Jason Gibson, technical field agronomist, Corteva Agriscience. “When you start clean and put effective residuals in place, you give yourself some breathing room. The weather doesn’t always cooperate when it’s time to make that postemergence application, and this year was a good reminder that you don’t want your entire weed control program depending on getting back into the field at exactly the right time.”
Joe Bolte, technical field agronomist, Corteva Agriscience, saw that play out firsthand. In some areas, rainfall after planting made timely postemergence applications difficult. Farmers with an effective preemergence program generally had fewer and smaller weeds to manage once fields dried out.
“A wet May really put some of those early residuals to the test, especially because cooler conditions slowed crop development and delayed canopy closure,” Bolte said. “Growers who built a strong program up front and then incorporated an in-season residual were in a much better position. It reinforced the importance of building a weed control program that can withstand normal weather delays rather than relying on everything going according to plan.”
The opposite was also true. Gibson noted that waiting for new weeds to emerge before making postemergence applications created challenges. When weather narrowed application windows, weeds had more opportunity to become larger and harder to control.
The season also reinforced that the details within a herbicide program matter.
In fields of Enlist E3® soybeans, Bolte saw greater pigweed control when growers used Enlist One® herbicide plus glufosinate compared with glufosinate alone. Grass control provided another lesson. Growers who used the upper end of the labeled rate range of grass herbicides saw greater efficacy.
“We talk a lot about choosing the right products, but rate, timing and the number of effective sites of action matter just as much,” Bolte said. “There are different grass herbicide formulations on the market with different amounts of active ingredient per gallon. Knowing what you’re applying and making sure you’re using the proper labeled rate can make a noticeable difference in the field.”
In corn, Bolte also saw greater weed control from two-pass programs compared with single-pass approaches. Collectively, those observations point to an important principle: Farmers can’t control the weather, but they can build programs that provide more flexibility when conditions don’t cooperate.
Weeds weren’t the only pests demanding attention this year. Gibson identified western bean cutworm in corn and Japanese beetles in soybeans as top insects in his area.
Bolte saw relatively low insect pressure overall, although alfalfa aphids were significant early in parts of central Kansas, and southern Illinois experienced some isolated aphid pressure.
Disease told a different story. Gibson had tar spot and southern rust on his radar in corn, along with frogeye leaf spot in soybeans. For Bolte, gray leaf spot was the primary corn disease concern, with pockets of southern rust and tar spot appearing.
“Tar spot and southern rust get a lot of attention, and rightfully so, because they can be detrimental to yield,” Bolte said. “But 2026 was a good reminder to not get tunnel vision. Gray leaf spot was the driver disease in my geography this year. Disease pressure can shift, so we need to scout what is actually happening in the field and think about fungicide options that provide effective control across multiple diseases.”
Now it’s time to turn the lessons learned in 2026 into actionable plans for the upcoming season.
“The combine cab is one of the best places to start planning for next year, because you’re seeing the results right in front of you,” Gibson said. “Identifying those challenges now gives us an opportunity to build solutions into the plan for 2027.”
The overarching lesson is simple: Be proactive. Strong herbicide programs, timely applications, careful rate selection and consistent scouting can help farmers prepare for whatever the next growing season brings.