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By Stephen K. Barnhart, Department of Agronomy
Most forage crops perform best when soils have adequate, but not excessive, soil moisture. Standing water, flowing water and waterlogged soils following heavy summer rainstorms or extended periods of higher than normal rainfall patterns can all cause management concerns for forage crops.
Management Suggestions
By William Edwards, Department of Economics
Most crop producers know that to achieve optimum yields it is important to plant early. However, in years like this when cold weather or frequent rains prevented tillage and planting from being completed, some adjustments may be made to the amount of coverage provided by Multiple Peril Crop Insurance (MPCI) as well as other types of crop insurance. These adjustments are subject to revision each year by the Risk Management Agency and crop insurance vendors.
By Greg Tylka, Department of Plant Pathology
Research and extension personnel in Iowa have tracked soybean cyst nematode (SCN) infestations by county since initial discovery of the nematode in Winnebago County in 1978.
By Mahdi Al Kaisi, Department of Agronomy, and Matt Helmers, Department of Ag and BioSystems Engineering
As we write this article spring rains are coming hard and fast causing substantial soil erosion when soils are most vulnerable because of degraded crop residue cover, soil preparation by tillage and no crop canopy.
By Palle Pedersen, Department of Agronomy
Whether we like it,or not, there are many areas in Iowa where farmers are still waiting to plant soybeans and now, given the recent weather, many fields are going to need to be replanted. Based on the May 25 estimates from USDA, only 72 percent of our soybean acres were planted compared 80 percent last year. Bottom line: we can continue to plant soybeans until early July but a few management practices may need to be changed.
By Palle Pedersen, Department of Agronomy
The excessive amount of rainfall that we have received in Iowa over the last 2 months, and particularly the last week, has caused excessive flooding in many areas. River bottoms are completely flooded and will probably not be able to be planted now for the next 2 to 3 weeks or at all this year. For the majority of the fields the water should drain and dry quickly, barring no more excessive rainfall.
By Roger Elmore and Lori Abendroth, Department of Agronomy
The storms last Sunday, May 25, and again on the May 29 and 30 have unloaded extraordinary amounts of rain in many parts of Iowa. Soils in the majority of the state are likely saturated. Low lying areas of fields whether they are tiled or not, are covered with ponds and areas along streams and rivers are flooded. It is not an attractive sight for producers!
By Roger Elmore, Elwynn Taylor, and Lori Abendroth, Department of Agronomy
By Elwynn Taylor, Department of Agronomy
The La Nina of the past several months as determined by the 90-day average Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) has ended. The SOI is a measure of the atmospheric pressure deviation from normal and directly influences meteorological conditions in numerous distant locations. The SOI diminished to 0.8 standard deviations on May 19, 2008.
By Elwynn Taylor, Department of Agronomy
There are several sources of weather information available to help farmers make informed crop production decisions.
To see the forecast for your ZIP code go to www.weather.gov. Click the general location of interest within the U.S. map. Now click your “exact” location (if you miss it a bit you get a chance to put in your ZIP code.)
