There are scattered reports of some fields having to be reseeded due to volunteer grain problems. Primarily, in early seeded barley with volunteer spring wheat being the problem. Wild oats, wild buckwheat, and Canada thistle have been the major weed problems. Winter wheat and rye are in the flag leaf stage and should begin to head next week. Early spikelet count of winter wheat in the Minot area has 15 to 16 spikes per head with three to five tillers per plant.
Flea beetles are still active on canola and some reports of foliar spraying have come in.
Continue to monitor for flea beetle damage during the next two weeks. Most of the earlier planted canola is past the susceptible stage thou. At Minot, three distinct peaks of flea beetle activity were observed which coincides with the warm weather periods. The first aphid was observed this week. Reports from other areas, like Carrington, confirm that the aphids are slowly migrating into North Dakota.