River Valley Ag

06/08/2026

“What happened with that insect you found last year?”

We got the DNA results back in the fall. It belongs to the gall midge family (Cecidomyiidae), but we couldn’t get a confident species identification from the database.

This season, UNL provided insect cages so we can hopefully capture adults and learn more about it. The goal is to determine whether it’s actually feeding on corn stalk nodes or simply associated with the damage.

For now, I’m calling it the “Stalk Node Midge” 🌽

Time will tell. 🤞🏻 Hopefully we catch some adults this summer.

06/05/2026

June is for the bugs 🌱 🐛

06/05/2026

Cool scouting find

06/02/2026

I call this game, spot the pupa 🔍

06/01/2026

So it goes… 🤦🏻‍♀️

05/29/2026

This season has been one for the random. 🥵 🥶 🌪️

After the cold snaps, drought conditions followed by heavy rains, then high heat, it’s not surprising to find neighboring plants with very different root systems.

05/21/2026

Will these soybeans keep growing? 🌱

The one on the left, no. It is hailed off below the cotyledons and has no viable growing points.

The one on the right, yes. Although it is missing its cotyledons and unifoliate leaves, the growing points are still intact and will push new growth.

05/18/2026

This is the only photo from the storm I took… Klaus 🐕 and I spent most of the evening in the basement like a couple of scaredy cats.

Many of our family, friends and customers sustained damage from the high winds and Salix tornado. If you need help cleaning up, we have a few extra sets of hands, chainsaws and trailers.

Most of the area also received some hail and short-lived pounding rains. I’ll be out doing stand assessments for replant decisions over the next few days.

If you already know you’ll need replant seed, please let us know ASAP.

05/15/2026

For more crop progress updates and agronomic insight from across the 🌽 belt, be sure to check out Successful Farming’s Crop Crew updates throughout the season.

Here’s a closer look at the status of Nebraska’s most important crops.

05/13/2026

Two different issues, two different fields. 🌽
What do you think happened to these seedlings?

Check photo captions for answers!

Hints:
We’re in very dry conditions.

The first photo shows one of the better looking plants affected, the rest of the stand is non existent and dug seeds show they imbibed and burned immediately.

The second photo shows a plant that was caught in more of a wave pattern across the field.