It's caused headaches for some growers, but hasn't caused widespread problems. We don't hear much about either of these issues any more. It seems like once people deal with a problem for a couple of years, they learn to manage around it, and the concerns fade. Problems with western rootworms on first-year corn are a good example of that. Now that we know the problem is spreading and that you probably need to use an insecticide on first-year corn in the affected area, it's not such a big issue anymore.
Internet creates seasonal issues Some hot topics are simply seasonal.
This year flea beetles, white grubs, seed corn maggots and wireworms generated a lot of discussion. Last year it was Balance injury. Before that is was white mold in beans and gray leaf spot on corn. Online discussion groups contribute to the speed of the cycling of interest in these seasonal problems. Anyone with access to the Internet can read about a multitude of production problems as they occur.