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Dr. Erin Hodgson started working in the Department of Entomology, now the Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology, and Microbiology, at Iowa State University in 2009. She is a professor with extension and research responsibilities in corn and soybeans. She has a general background in integrated pest management (IPM) for field crops. Dr. Hodgson's current extension and research programs are focused on improving corn and soybean production by using IPM tactics to protect yield and increase overall farmer profits. Among other projects, she oversees insecticide efficacy evaluations for soybean aphids, Japanese beetles, and aphids in corn. Erin also helps manage emerging field crop pests and invasive species. 

Photo of Erin Hodgson

Daren Mueller is a professor and extension plant pathologist at Iowa State University. He is also the coordinator of the Iowa State Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. Daren received his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1996, and his master's degree and doctorate in Plant Pathology from the University of Illinois-Urbana in 1999 and 2001. Daren’s main research interests involve understanding the biology and management of field crop diseases. Daren is also a co-director of the North Central IPM Center and the Crop Protection Network.

Dr. Alison Robertson is a professor of plant pathology and microbiology. She provides extension education on the diagnosis and management of corn and soybean diseases. Her research interests include Pythium seedling disease of corn and soybean and Goss's wilt. Dr. Robertson received her bachelor's degree in plant pathology in 1991 from the University of Kwazulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, and came to the United States in 1999 to pursue a doctoral degree in plant pathology at Clemson University. She started working at Iowa State University in May 2004.

Alison Robertson photo

Adam Sisson is an extension specialist with the Iowa State University Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program and a Certified Crop Adviser. Sisson focuses on the development of publications and other educational resources for farmers, agribusiness, and students. He received his bachelor's degree in agronomy and environmental studies in 2006 and a master's degree in sustainable agriculture in 2009; both from Iowa State University. 

Dr. Mark Licht is an associate professor and extension cropping systems specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. His extension, research and teaching program is focused on how to holistically manage Iowa cropping systems to achieve productivity, profitability and environmental goals. Research is centered around varied aspects of soybean, corn and cover crop management as well as agronomic implications of precision technologies.

Meaghan Anderson is a field agronomist in central Iowa and an extension specialist at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Educational programming is available for farmers, agribusinesses, pesticide applicators, certified crop advisors, and other individuals interested in crop production.

Areas of expertise include weed management, weed biology, cover crops, corn and soybean management, and integrated pest management.

Subscribe to the Central Iowa Crop Update for current topics and agriculture events in the area.

Meaghan Anderson

Dr. Sotirios Archontoulis is an assistant professor of integrated cropping systems at the Department of Agronomy. His main research interests involve understanding complex Genotype by Management by Environment interactions and modeling various components of the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. Dr. Archontoulis's overall goal is to investigate practices that can increase the efficiency of system by means of increasing crop yields and simultaneously decreasing inputs or losses such as water and nitrogen. His approach combines field experimentation and use of mechanistic simulations models.

Dr. Kathleen Delate's current position as a professor and extension organic specialist at Iowa State University is a joint position between the departments of horticulture and agronomy, where she's responsible for research, extension, and teaching in organic agriculture. Organic agriculture is now a $35 billion industry in the United States, with 18,000 organic farmers. Her research focuses on pest management and soil fertility management strategies for transitioning and certified organic farmers.

Dr. Delate grew up on the East coast where her father was a statistician for Dupont and her mother hailed from a family farm in Magnolia, Minnesota. She spent many summers working on her cousin’s diversified farm in Minnesota, helping bale hay and feed hogs, which is where she developed a love for agriculture. Dr. Delate earned her bachelor's degree in agronomy, a master's degree in horticulture from the University of Florida, and a doctoral degree in agricultural ecology from the University of California-Berkeley. She has farmed organically in Iowa, California, Florida, and Hawaii. In 2014, she spent a sabbatical in Italy, studying organic no-till farming with some of the 48,000 organic farmers there. A video on the organic no-till system is available at: https://vimeo.com/user20353817/review/99643832/0a09248894

Results of the organic research are located on the Iowa State University Organic Agriculture webpage: https://www.leopold.iastate.edu/organic

Betsy Danielson is an extension specialist for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in the Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP).

Betsy Danielson
April 14, 2022 8:16 AM

Cold weather has kept migratory moths out of Iowa through Week 2 of the trapping network. However, our cooperators have seen some native moths show up in their true armyworm traps. During week 2 of the Iowa Moth...

Crop Production, Insects
April 13, 2022 9:08 AM

It is the time of year when forecasts become a bigger concern for Iowa crop producers. Nearly everyone has their favorite choice for getting their weather information. In this article we will be sharing weather sites we use when discussing weather issues with our crop production clients.

Crop Production, Weather
April 11, 2022 4:22 PM

Although it has been uncharacteristically cold recently, it is officially springtime in Iowa and many insects are coming to life. One of the first things the field crop entomologists do each year is coordinate the Iowa Moth Trapping Network. Usually, these traps catch the specific species we are...

Insects
April 11, 2022 12:30 PM

Soil temperature is one of the most important factors to guide planting decisions. The rule of thumb is to wait until the upper 4 inches reach at least 50 degrees, with a warming temperature trend in the forecast. One way to track soil temperatures across Iowa is by using the...

Crop Production
April 8, 2022 10:35 PM

With a warm-up in the forecast, spring fieldwork like cover crop termination will begin when fields are fit. While some farmers may opt to use mechanical methods of cover crop termination like tillage or roller-crimping, chemical termination is the most common and often most effective way to...

Conservation, Crop Production
April 7, 2022 3:08 PM

The 2022 moth trapping season is underway, and most of our volunteers placed traps the week of March 27. Black cutworm (BCW) monitoring is a long-standing project in Iowa, and true armyworm (TAW) was added in 2017 (Photo 1). Both of these pests are migratory, making it difficult to predict where...

Crop Production, Insects
April 5, 2022 2:17 PM

This is the final article in a 3-part series for private pesticide applicators.  Part 1 focused on remaining continuing instruction courses to maintain...

Pests
April 4, 2022 2:27 PM

Determining the appropriate glyphosate rate is probably more important this spring than in previous years. Between high herbicide prices, reduced supply, and possibly using a different glyphosate product, it is worth checking to make sure you’re applying the optimum rate for efficient control....

Pests, Weeds
March 31, 2022 2:11 PM

2022 offerings of Agronomy in the Field

Agronomy in the Field is a workshop series for women that provides learning opportunities over forage and crop production. Focus is placed on developing agronomic and decision-making skills that can be utilized on one’s own personal or family...

Crop Production
March 28, 2022 11:06 AM

Spring planting
Performing pre-season maintenance on your spring...

Equipment
March 25, 2022 12:33 PM

Why do we need your input?

An unprecedented amount of data is being collected on soybean fields thanks to advances in sensing technologies and cost-efficient computing, yet these data

are rarely used to their full potential. Extension is uniquely positioned to...

Crop Production
March 25, 2022 8:33 AM

This is part 2 of a three-part series of reminders for private pesticide applicators. Part 1 discussed remaining continuing education course opportunities...

Pests
March 23, 2022 3:04 PM

On March 15, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the label amendments that further restrict the use of over-the-top dicamba in Iowa and Minnesota. These changes came after the reports of high numbers of off-target dicamba injury incidents in Iowa and Minnesota in 2021. During...

Weeds
March 22, 2022 4:35 PM

Iowa private pesticide applicators are required to be certified to apply pesticides if they are using restricted-use pesticides.  Initially, to get certified, applicators need to take and pass an exam. Then, to maintain their certification, applicators can either attend a 2-hour continuing...

Pests
March 18, 2022 12:56 PM

As the snow melts and planters are made ready for spring, it is also time to think about crop scouting. The Crop Protection Network has many resources for new crop scouts or summer interns. These resources can also provide a...

Insects, Diseases, Weeds
March 18, 2022 11:49 AM

Small grains, like oats, seeded in the spring can be another forage source for livestock producers. While using small grains, like oats, as a forage source is not something new, there is very limited data available on...

Crop Production
March 7, 2022 6:02 PM

Shortage of key herbicides, glyphosate and glufosinate, in 2022 has emphasized the need to implement integrated weed management (IWM) strategies in corn and soybean. It is time to consider adding more tools in the weed control toolbox. In the previous blog post, we discussed alternative...

Weeds
March 6, 2022 4:48 PM

As emphasized during the Crop Advantage Series presentations and other ISU extension meetings across Iowa in January/February, two key herbicides, glyphosate and glufosinate, are in short supply to many of the corn and soybean producers. Therefore, the 2022 growing season is going to be...

Crop Production, Weeds
March 3, 2022 8:54 AM

Frost seeding is the easiest and least expensive method for adding new legumes to a pasture. And now is the perfect time to be doing frost seeding.

The goal of frost seeding is to seed while the soil is frozen (usually first then in the morning) and get the seed in contact with bare soil...

Crop Production
February 21, 2022 7:30 AM

Many across the US have set aside February 20-26 as Grain Bin Safety Week in order to grow awareness of the hazards associated with grain storage. Many of the ways to increase safety when...

Grain Storage
February 16, 2022 10:53 AM

One of the label requirements for the dicamba products labeled for over-the-top use in soybean (Xtendimax, Tavium, Engenia) is that applicators must complete a special dicamba training annually. If you need to complete this training, go to the ...

Pests
February 14, 2022 3:35 PM

Foliar fungicides were evaluated across seven Iowa State University research and demonstration farms to determine their performance for disease and yield response on soybean in 2021.

Diseases
February 11, 2022 9:28 AM

Iowa State University’s IPM Team has monitored field crop pests for a long time. The pests have changed over the years, but the goal is the same: to help inform farmers about pest activity in Iowa. Our moth trapping efforts target migratory moths. Black cutworm monitoring is a long-standing...

Crop Production, Insects
February 8, 2022 12:16 PM

Extension specialists at Iowa State and across the U.S. present this new one-hour...

Crop Production
February 4, 2022 1:50 PM

As we move into the final month of meteorological winter, outlooks for February continue to show a classic La Niña (LN) signature across the United States. On the temperature side, above-average probabilities for warmer temperatures are found across the East Coast and throughout much of the Sun...

Crop Production

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