If leaf feeding is found, try to find the cutworms to determine whether they are blacks or dingys. If you find only dingys, then you shouldn't have a cutting problem. If you find only leaf feeding and only black cutworms, then mark off 100 plants in a row with stakes or flags and scout these same plants for cutting over time. Do this at several locations across the field. Dingy cutworms have these four tubercles equal in diameter.
Black cutworm has four tubercles of unequal diamter on the top of each body segment.
Crane fly larvae are common in no-till or conservation tillage fields. They feed on dead organic matter and do not cut plants. They lack legs, but have horn-like projections on the tail. Canada geese feeding on seedling corn will clip the top leaves and this may be confused with cutworm injury. Geese, however, often clip several plants in a row, eating only the top leaves and do not cut the plant at ground level.