Blog
Every year is different. This year’s weather from January 1 to April 25 was cold and wet; a stark contrast to last year’s weather. While we know the differences in weather conditions every year, we do not know the implications on soil water and N at planting time. Field operations have just...
It has been a slow start to #Plant18 in Iowa. The cooler and wet weather has kept many farmers out of the fields despite the fact that it is getting to be the end of April. Spring finally seems to have arrived (or at least for parts of Iowa), and with that farmers are not wasting anytime getting...
Most people say that this spring is one for the history books. No one seems to remember a colder or snowier start to the spring.
The following are some figures...
This spring has already brought on concerns about poor weather resulting in delays on corn planting. At this point in time, there is still time. It is highly important to remain patient and wait for the right corn planting conditions. Planting into marginal conditions can result in problems all...
The 29th David W. Staniforth Memorial Lecture was presented by Dr. Fred Gould on April 3rd. The lecture was titled "Will Genetically Engineered Pests Protect Health, Biodiversity, and Crop Production?". Dr. Gould is the Co-director of teh Genetic Engineering and Society...
Green cover crop fields are slowly starting to appear across the state. Despite the recent snow that fell across the state, #plant18 is right around the corner. Farmers should have a game plan in place for how they plan to terminate their overwintering cover crop. Killing cover crops with a...
Registration is now open for the 2018 Youth Crop Scouting Competition to be held on July 30th. High school students (those completing grades 9-12) from Iowa are invited to compete and showcase crop scouting abilities in corn and soybean. The competition will be a one day event focusing on...
It is important to keep stored grain cool as we go into the spring and summer months. Some warming of stored grain may have already occurred during warmer weather and with the sun shining on the south side of grain bins.
With the weather forecast for Friday through next Tuesday...
Insecticide-resistant soybean aphids have emerged as a new challenge to farmers throughout the upper Midwest. In a new regional publication, we suggest strategies for managing soybean aphids resistant to pyrethroid insecticides. A few key points for managing aphids are:
The regional Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator (CNRC; http://cnrc.agron.iastate.edu/) website was recently updated with a revised Iowa N response trial database. The changes to the suggested N rates in Iowa are...
Pest resistance is a world-wide challenge from hospitals to farm fields. I recently spent several days in the hospital battling an internal bacterial infection, which required intravenous antibiotics. I noted that the medical staff:
The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) recently released a report (A menace to monarchs) describing the threat to monarch butterflies posed by an increased use of dicamba. ...
A collection of educational resources to help people on farms, orchards, forests, and other agricultural establishments comply with EPA’s revised Worker Protection Standard (WPS) regulation is now available online at http://pesticideresources.org/wps...
The IPM team at Iowa State University has been monitoring for field crop pests for a long time. The target pests have changed over the years, but the goal always remains the same: help inform farmers about pest activity in Iowa. One long-standing...
The new crop season is right around the corner, and we want you to be prepared for yield-reducing disease, insect and weed issues! ISU Extension publications are great field scouting resources and provide a wealth of information for identifying production issues in your fields.
Four ISU...
Dr. Fred Gould, University Distinguished Professor and Reynolds Professor of Entomology at North Carolina State University will present the 29th Staniforth Memorial Lecture on April 3rd at 4PM in the Curtiss Hall Auditorium on the Iowa State University Campus. Dr. Gould...
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach published the Field Crop Scouting book as an online learning tool for crop scouts and other ag professionals in Iowa. This interactive textbook allows individuals to acquire knowledge about multiple crop...
Farmers and agriculture suppliers will want to attend the Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association annual meeting at the Johnson County Extension office in Iowa City on Thursday, March 1, 2018 beginning at 10:00 a.m., according to association president Jeff Ellis.
Following a...
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has published an updated version of the Soybean Diseases publication to help farmers and other professionals in the agriculture industry identify and scout for disease threats to soybean production in Iowa. The publication includes scouting tips,...
If you are interested in an in-depth course covering soil fertility and nutrient management, then consider attending the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach 2018 Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management Short Course. This is a two-day event that provides an opportunity to dig deeper into...
Farmers and agribusiness have a new tool to help them tackle crop management challenges. The Crop Protection Network, a multi-state and international collaboration of university and provincial extension specialists, has redesigned its website...
Most of Iowa was wet and cool during planting time (end April to mid-May), warm and dry during vegetative growth (June to July), and cool and wet during reproductive development (August to September). In some locations, the June-July drought was severe with precipitation deficits exceeding eight...
Dicamba has been an important component of Iowa weed management systems for more than 40 years. The history of its use is somewhat unique in that its popularity has ebbed and flowed over time. The increase in herbicide resistant weeds combined with the introduction of dicamba-resistant soybean...
At the recent North Central Weed Science Society annual meeting I was asked to provide the opening presentation (A historical perspective on dicamba) in a symposium focusing on issues with dicamba. Following are the slides and the abstract of my presentation.
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The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Soil Fertility web site has undergone a recent redesign and update. The site was updated, but the URL has remained the same (http...