Corn Earworm
An increasingly hot and humid weather regime is expected to extend northeast from the Plains into at least the southwestern and western portion of the corn-growing region by late this week and into at least a portion of the weekend. Low pressure should develop east of the Rockies while high pressure meanders across the Tennessee River valley. This particular pressure center configuration is not conducive to widespread corn earworm migration as the majority of south to southwest winds will focus from source regions in western Texas and Oklahoma north into the Plains versus further east in the mid-south where corn earworm counts are very high in some locales. As such, only Low risks are predicted starting Wednesday night into Thursday generally along and south of US 14 in South Dakota and Minnesota east into southwest Wisconsin and Illinois and points southwest. The same general risk area is in the forecast through Saturday morning as the pattern should change little. Vegetable and fresh-market growers should pay close attention for new moths as these are the plants at greatest risk at this time from any isolated moth flights.