This winter’s erratic weather, swinging from –30°F wind chills to unseasonably warm temperatures in the 50s, has left many wanting spring and ready to get back in the fields. Even though the groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter, temperatures have been trending upward. Over the next week, highs are expected to stay above freezing during the day and drop below freezing at night. These natural freeze–thaw cycles signal the slow transition into spring. 

In 2025, the effect of commercial fungicides on foliar diseases of corn were evaluated at six ISU Research and Demonstration Farms: Northwest Research Farm (NWRF), Northern Research Farm (NRF), Northeast Research Farm (NERF), Armstrong Memorial Research Farm (lost due to wind damage before tasseling), Ag Engineering and Agronomy Farm (AEA), and Southeast Research Farm (SERF). Fungicide products evaluated and timing of application are shown in Table 1.

Iowa State University’s extension entomologists have monitored field crop pests for a long time. The pests have changed over the years, but the goal is the same: to help inform farmers about pest activity in Iowa. Our moth trapping effort targets black cutworm, which is a migratory moth. Since timing of arrival is variable between growing seasons, trapping black cutworm helps us predict when injury will occur.