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2024 Crop Scout School

Thursday, May 16, 2024 - 9:00am to 3:30pm

Registration begins at 8:30 AM.

Crop Scout School

The Iowa State University Extension Crop Scout School prepares individuals with little or no previous crop scouting experience, providing a foundation of basic skills for crop scouting in the Midwest. Correctly identifying pests in the field is critical for selecting the correct tools to economically manage the issue. Read more about 2024 Crop Scout School

Do we need to think about conserving soil moisture prior to planting?

March 12, 2024 10:00 AM
Blog Post

It most certainly has been a strange winter with very little moisture. This fact, combined with a multi-year drought has people concerned for spring planting. Most farmers I have talked to this winter have shared concerns about not only the lack of precipitation, but the lack of soil moisture. And while we had outstanding yields in some places in 2023 even with drought conditions, I would point out there is one major difference shaping up so far for 2024.

What does this Warm Winter Mean for Insects?

March 12, 2024
Estimated total snowfall for Iowa.

Except for a few extremely cold days, Iowa has experienced a mild winter. In fact, February 2024 was the warmest February in Iowa’s weather history, and this winter is one of the warmest ever for the state. In addition to warmer temperatures, the total snowfall for our state has been low (Figure 1) and below average compared to a normal year (Figure 2). Much of the snowfall this winter was during a two-week period in January. As a result, many people are asking how a dry and mild winter might impact overwintering insects.

Navigating Winter Injury in Alfalfa Stands: Assessment, Management, and Interseeding Strategies

February 28, 2024 5:25 PM
Blog Post

High February temperatures have prompted many alfalfa fields across the state to initiate greening up over the past couple of weeks (Figure 1). However, temperatures then plummeted (9°F) earlier this week, likely resulting in the demise of the new growth. But the more pressing question is whether this has led to stand damage or crown injury. Furthermore, this winter has witnessed numerous warm and extremely cold days. As spring approaches, evaluating your alfalfa stand for winter injury and potential yields becomes crucial to inform rotation and interseeding decisions.

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Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association Annual Meeting Invite

February 26, 2024 9:28 PM
Blog Post

You are invited to the Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association's annual meeting, on Thursday, March 7, at the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm, located at 3115 Louisa-Washington Rd, Crawfordsville.

The association, in partnership with Iowa State University, oversees the ISU Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm.

The annual meeting will feature:

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Winter Weather Woes: Assessing Whether or Not to Frost Seed

February 20, 2024 1:21 PM
Blog Post

This winter's erratic weather, swinging from -30°F wind chills to unseasonably warm highs in the 50s, has left many pondering whether to frost-seed or not to frost-seed. As the calendar inches towards mid-February, the dilemma intensifies, with some already contemplating drilling spring oats or alfalfa. Let's not get too hasty. The weather may seem nice and suitable for planting, but we are still in mid-February and could easily face some future hard frosts and cold temperatures.

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Early Soybean Planting Considerations

February 15, 2024 8:00 AM
Blog Post

Soybean planting dates have been moving earlier and earlier. In a nod to this, the USDA Risk Management Agency has moved up the earliest planting dates for replant insurance coverage – April 10 for the southern 3 tiers of Iowa counties and April 15 for the northern 6 tiers of Iowa counties. Even with this change, there has been some experimenting with planting soybean even earlier.

USDA RMA soybean early planting date

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Suspected 2,4-D Resistant Waterhemp Population Discovered

February 13, 2024

We know the evolution of resistance in waterhemp populations happens faster than new herbicides are discovered, so the recent report of dicamba resistant waterhemp in Iowa by Bayer was not unexpected. Corteva has now reported the discovery of a suspected 2,4-D resistant waterhemp population in Iowa.

Crops: 

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