Search

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.

Northwest Iowa Subsoil Moisture Survey Results Announced

November 15, 2023 7:00 AM
Blog Post

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Field Agronomists have completed their fall survey of subsoil moisture in northwest Iowa. Subsoil moisture sampling in Iowa dates back to February 1954 when ten sites were chosen for soil moisture sampling. In 1959, the sampling increased to 22 locations, and in 1971, 61 locations were sampled. Today, 18 locations are sampled in northwest Iowa.

Beware of Dry Conditions When Soil Sampling and Interpreting Test Results

October 5, 2022
Soil testing in dry soils

October began dry across most of Iowa except for some areas in southern and southeast Iowa. These conditions are allowing for rapid harvest progress. The outlook for the rest of the month calls for lower than normal rainfall. Below normal rainfall since August until the soil sampling time may result in lower than expected soil test results for phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and pH. Therefore, farmers and crop consultants should interpret those soil test results with caution.

Residue management consideration for this fall

September 10, 2020 5:19 PM
Blog Post

Managing residue and tillage this fall can be a challenge given the volume of residue due to downed corn by high winds and drought. There is a tendency to think about tillage as the first option in managing a high volume of crop residue. The impact of residue incorporation with tillage on soil health and water quality has been demonstrated to be significant.

Category: 

Storm Damage Resources

Will fallow syndrome be an issue in 2019 prevented plant acres?

April 6, 2020 4:25 PM
Blog Post

In 2019 Iowa had over 460,000 prevented plant acres. As we prepare for the 2020 growing season, one concern we sometimes hear about with prevented plant acres is fallow syndrome. Fallow syndrome happens when the populations of “good fungi” known as vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) are reduced due to the lack of actively growing roots. These “good fungi” help with nutrient cycling and plant nutrient uptake, particularly for phosphorus (P) in corn. Fallow syndrome is only a concern if there was little to no plant growth in a field last year (i.e. no cover crop and no weeds).

AgOvation

Registration for the 2020 AgOvation program will open on Jan 1. For more information, contact Maya Hayslett, hayslett@iastate.edu. Youth should contact their local county extension office if they are interested in participating. What is AgOvation? AgOvation is a research-based competition that challenges youth to explore and develop innovative science-based solutions to agricultural problems that they identify in their own communities.

Southeast Iowa Ag Exploration Day

WASHINGTON, Iowa – Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach hosted an Ag Exploration Day for area high school students on Thursday, Sept. 5 at the Southeast Research Farm near Crawfordsville. This was the first year for Ag Exploration day at the farm, and 130 area high school students from nine schools participated in the event.

Pages