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Soybean seedling diseases are a major yield-reducing factor in soybean production. In 2017 alone, it was estimated that over 50 million bushels of grain were lost in the U.S. as a result of seedling diseases, and nearly 2 million bushels were lost in Ontario, Canada. As weather patterns — such...

Update Note: This was first published November 13, 2019. As of November 19, 2019 we are expecting a few days of warm weather; dewpoints will get above freezing. It would be counterproductive to keep the fans on during this period.

The late planting has caused higher moisture corn...

Waterhemp’s rise to the Cornbelt’s worst weed is one of the Cornbelt’s more fascinating weed-related events over the past 40 years.  Waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) is native to the United States but is a relative newcomer to crop fields. Prior to waterhemp’s ascent, redroot pigweed...

The meteorological winter (December-January-February) temperature and precipitation outlooks were recently released by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC). In winter, the phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate signal typically influences temperature and precipitation...

Recent reports have Iowa corn at about 40% harvested and Iowa soybeans about 66% harvested. The late crop has corn moistures running from around 19% in...

It doesn’t happen every year, but it does occur – snow accumulation before harvest is complete. Here are some considerations and tips for dealing with this unique situation:

Combines are the most important seed dispersal mechanism for weeds in our cropping system.  While a small amount of seed may leave the field with grain, most weed seed that enter the combine with the crop are either spread throughout the field or carried to other fields. Harvest weed seed...

Iowa State University Extension Plant Pathologist Daren Mueller will be featured on a North Central Climate Collaborative (NC3) webinar later this month. The focal point of the discussion will be around how climate change is impacting disease expression in both corn and soybean in the North...

Tar spot is the latest new disease of corn to be observed in the U.S. The disease was first observed in Indiana in 2015. In 2016, it was found in eastern Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida. Last growing season, the disease caused significant damage to corn in northern Illinois,...

An Iowa farmer sent me an email in anticipation of the freeze this weekend and I suspect many farmers are in the similar position of having mature crops with replant that may not be mature yet. Read more about my thoughts on how to handle this situation below.

Question:...

A portion of Iowa’s corn crop is likely to experience a frost before naturally reaching maturity as a result of cool temperatures later this week. Natural maturity is often determined when a black layer is formed at the kernel tip. At this timeframe grain moisture is typically 28–35% moisture....

Fall is a great time to take soil samples. Soil testing is the only way to determine soil nutrient levels, and the results of these tests can help make critical management decisions for the next growing season. This article will discuss when to soil sample, different soil sampling methods, how...