SDSU Extension to host corn disease scouting workshop

Tar spot and southern rust as observed on South Dakota corn leaves.

BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State University Extension will host a scouting session for corn diseases confirmed in the state this season.

The Corn Disease Scouting Session is from 10 a.m. to noon CDT on Sept. 25, 2025, at the SDSU Northeast Research Farm by South Shore. Registration is not required, and attendees can come and go any time during this free event.

Join the SDSU Extension plant pathology team to see tar spot, southern rust, northern corn leaf blight and other disease in the corn field, or to have your own diseased plant material identified.

“Come along and scout the field with us,” said Connie Strunk, SDSU Extension Plant Pathology Field Specialist. “Stay as long as your schedule allows.”

Tar spot is a potentially yield-impacting corn disease that has been confirmed in eight South Dakota counties this growing season and suspected in at least one more. Southern rust, a fungal disease that primarily shows itself on the upper leaf surface of the corn plant, has been observed in most eastern South Dakota corn fields this season.

Madalyn Shires, Assistant Professor & SDSU Extension Plant Pathology Specialist, said other diseases she has observed widely this season include common rust, Northern corn leaf blight and Goss’s Wilt. For more information, visit the SDSU Extension Agriculture-Corn page and scroll to the “Diseases” topic section.

Anyone who suspects they have tar spot or another corn disease can take a sample to the scouting session for identification. Please keep samples enclosed in a plastic bag with a dry paper towel.

For more information, contact Connie Strunk, SDSU Extension Plant Pathology Field Specialist; or Madalyn Shires, Assistant Professor & SDSU Extension Plant Pathology Specialist.