Blog

Now is the time to be doing late summer seeding of forages. This ICM article Steve Barnhart, retired Extension forage specialist, wrote does a nice job providing basic information to successfully...

The current approach to weed management in Iowa is at risk due to rapid expansion of herbicide-resistant weeds. In order to preserve the efficacy of herbicides two things must happen: 1) adoption of integrated weed management, and 2) shift the goal of weed management from protecting crop yields...

When will the first hard freeze or killing frost (equal to or less than 28°F) date be this fall? This is a question a lot of folks are wondering about right now. Over the last few decades the trend for the first frost and freeze dates in the fall has been that they are occurring later in the...

The growing season started off too wet, but now we are going to the other extreme of being too dry in places. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, just shy of 25% of the state was considered abnormally dry as...

Growth regulator damage in soybeans, potato leaf hoppers, gray leaf spot, and thistle caterpillars have been some of the issues or pests ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists have seen in fields this past week. Read on to see what is happening in specific areas across the state.  

Today for the first time this summer, I started to notice a few thistle caterpillars that didn’t look quite right. Some were very dark, some look deflated and some were kind of “slimy” in appearance. This happens to insects occasionally as a result of infection of an entomopathogen. That’s just...

This past week brought some much needed rainfall to areas across the state, which helped the crops through the hot temperatures. The pest of the week across the state seems to be thistle caterpillars causing defoliation in soybeans...

Check out what ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists have been seeing and hearing about in fields across the state this past week. Some of the common issues observed in fields include insect defoliation in soybeans by pests like thistle caterpillars and Japanese beetles, weed management...

Question: If the state and county are so concerned about wild parsnip, why aren’t they out spraying it? The ditches and county roads are full of it.¹

When selecting a pesticide, make sure you read the label to ensure that you have the Personal Protective...

As the pesticide application season progresses remember to check the FieldWatch® online registry before making pesticide applications. To be in compliance with the Iowa Bee Rule commercial applicators will need to check the registry for any registered bee...

The Disposal module within the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship website was recently revised and expanded. The new version, available at https://pesticidestewardship.org/disposal/, has additional content on disposal options for excess...