Integrated Crop Management News

Links to these articles are strongly encouraged. Articles may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Integrated Crop Management News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If articles are used in any other manner, permission from the author is required.

February 23 Crops and Weather Report

February 26, 2009

By Doug Coooper, Extension Communications Specialist

Iowa State University Extension climatologist Elwynn Taylor, integrated pest management specialist Rich Pope, and economist Robert Wisner take a look at the 2009 growing season during the Extension crop and weather weekly interview segment with Doug Cooper, Extension communication specialist.

February 16 Crops and Weather Report

February 17, 2009

Iowa State University Extension climatologist Elwynn Taylor, integrated pest management specialist Rich Pope, corn agronomist Roger Elmore, and ag economist Chad Hart look ahead to the 2009 growing season during the weekly crops and weather interview with Doug Cooper, Extension communications specialist.

Yellow Corn, Wet Soils, and N Loss – Part 4

February 10, 2009

By John Sawyer, Department of Agronomy

Last summer I provided observations in three ICM News articles (June 19, June 26, and July 8, 2008) on corn growth and response to nitrogen (N) applied in an anhydrous ammonia study conducted at the Iowa State University research farm between Ames and Boone. This series of articles was written in response to the record wet conditions encountered in 2008. Following is a summary of the grain yield response to N timing and rate.

February 9 Crops and Weather Report

February 10, 2009

Iowa State University Extension climatologist Elwynn Taylor, integrated pest management specialist Rich Pope and soybean agronomist Palle Pedersen discuss the upcoming 2009 growing season during their weekly interview Feb. 9 with Doug Cooper, Extension communications specialist.

Extension climatologist Elwynn Taylor tells us the dry weather in Argentina and Australia are causing some crop losses. His early prediction for corn yields in Iowa is in two parts--with La Niña and without La Niña.

Time to Check and Make Decisions About 2008 Corn

February 6, 2009

Charles R. Hurburgh, Jr., Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

Last fall there were several Integrated Crop Management articles about the quality and handling of the 2008 corn crop. This type of corn has roughly half the storage life of normal corn under the same moisture and temperature conditions.

Managing Hail Damaged Alfalfa

December 23, 2008
Image of alfalfa terminal bud damage

Thunderstorms and hail are a normal occurrence across the Midwest U.S. during the growing season.  Hail and wind damage to alfalfa fields leads to questions regarding harvest management of the forage crops, especially related to the stage of growth when damaged and the time proximity to the next planned harvest. Hail damaged fields vary in degree of severity, ranging from some terminal bud and leaf damage to completely defoliated plants. Stands may also be lodged by accompanying wind and rain.


Soybean cyst nematode confirmed in Ida County in 2008

December 10, 2008
Map of all Iowan counties in which SCN has been found, Dec. 2008

By Greg Tylka, Department of Plant Pathology


The soybean cyst nematode has been known to exist in Iowa since 1978.  The first Iowa finding was in Winnebago County.  In the 1980s and 1990s, SCN was found for the first time in many different Iowa counties.  By 2000, SCN had not yet been found in only nine Iowa counties. By the end of 2007, it had not yet been found or officially confirmed in only three Iowa counties – Allamakee, Ida, and Lyon County.  Earlier in 2008, SCN was confirmed to be present in Lyon County.


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