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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.
Daren Mueller is an associate 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.
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 field 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.
Dr Laura Jesse Iles directs the North Central IPM Center. Dr. Iles has earned B.S. (Animal Ecology), M.S. (Entomology), and Ph.D. (Co-major in Entomology and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) degrees, all from Iowa State University. In addition to directing the PIDC, Dr Iles serves as the entomology diagnostician. As part of the ISU Integrated Pest Management Program Dr. Iles provides educational training in the broad areas of consumer horticulture, biological control, and invasive insect management.
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.
Subscribe to RSS FeedA couple of farm visits took me from Emmetsburg to Cylinder to Ringsted on October 1. I am guessing the soybean harvest in those areas is about half done.
The big news this year is that we are seeing some exceptional soybean yields. There are lots of credible reports of 60 bu/a whole...
As harvest begins and other plants in the landscape senesce, many insects and arthropods move to find overwintering habitat. Sometimes...
Crop development progress is looking good in northwest Iowa. We are seeing corn that is in the 1/2 milk line stage as well as a few fields that have reached black...
All across Iowa, the edges of woods are lined with plants bearing clusters of white flowers. There's a good likelihood those plants are white snakeroot, a native perennial in the Asteraceae family. The plant is best known for its role in milk sickness, an ailment responsible for the death of...
A new UNL Yield Forecast came out last Friday. The high probability of near- or above-average yields continues at all Iowa locations. The Sutherland and Kanawha locations still have considerable probability of below normal yields. The Lewis location has greater than a 99% probability of...
Short Version: 493 miles in 12 hours; 2 out of 3 known Palmer amaranth sites well managed; no new infestations found.
Long Version: I went to the three Palmer amaranth infestations in western Iowa that I am aware of. This is...
An extension client asked why waterhemp that survive a postemergence herbicide often develop into a bushy plant with an abnormally thick stem. The short answer would be the plant was too big when it was sprayed, but I trust this person wanted a more in-depth response.
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One of the first memories of my extension career is a farmer from northwest Iowa explaining his approach to managing the weed seedbank. He stated that he carried a box of atrazine 90DF in his combine. Whenever he encountered a velvetleaf or cocklebur he would stop, pull the offending weed, place...
The last few weeks have been full of soybean aphid discussions. Populations have been going up, down and otherwise looked sort of bumpy this summer. Many fields exceeded the economic threshold of 250 per plant and were treated with foliar insecticides in August, particularly in northern Iowa. My...
Burcucumber and wild cucumber (AKA wild balsam apple) are weedy members of the cucumber family. They are frequently found along river bottoms and other wet areas, and may cause serious problems due to their ability to climb and smother small to medium sized trees. Burcucumber is more likely to...
We have experienced quite a turnaround in weather the last four days. Last Sunday August 16 – we were experiencing dry soil, high temperatures and crop stress. After a late Sunday afternoon rain shower of around 0.5 inch – things were looking good.
However, the...
The new Yield Forecast came out from the UNL project on today. There is a high probability of near- or above-average yields at all six Iowa locations with 95% probability being near- or above average at all locations except northwest and north central Iowa. The range of yield potentials forecast...
Corn rootworm adult emergence is underway in Iowa. The three species of rootworm found in Iowa include the northern corn rootworm (NCR), southern corn rootworm (SCR), and western corn rootworm (WCR). Adults of all three species can be found until the first frost. Knowing how to distinguish the...
Wild parsnip is an invasive plant commonly found in roadsides, pastures, restored prairies and other areas with full sun and minimal disturbance. It is a biennial that forms a rosette with 'celery-like leaves' (Fig. 1.) and an umbel with yellow flowers (Fig. 2). It contains a class of...
The annual ISU-Iowa State Fair Weed Identification Contest is this Friday, August 14, from 9:00 - 11:00 AM in front of the John Deere Agriculture Building. With three divisions (Future Agronomists, General, and Professional) it is indeed fun for the entire family. See how your weed ID skills...
Figure 1. A poison ivy trifoliate leaf.
In the past few weeks I've had at least five inquiries regarding a...
Are you seeing yellow-ish spots showing up in your soybean fields, especially in compacted parts of the field? This could be the start of Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS). With how wet its been there year, we've had the ideal conditions for disease development.
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This week, I've had several calls and emails about aphids feeding on corn. They aren't a persistent pest, but can occasionally be found in Iowa corn. I wrote up a short ICM News article in 2011. Although an economic...
It’s time for another Yield Forecast. A new Yield Forecast came out from the UNL project on July 29. For Iowa, this new forecast is similar to the July 15th forecast with the exception of northwest Iowa. Rains in northwest Iowa have increased yield potentials to 94% likelihood of being near or...
Waterhemp continues to be a problem in parts of northwest Iowa. There is a fair amount of waterhemp that survived the glyphosate and/or Flexstar applications in late June.
There is also a new crop of waterhemp that has germinated recently. That fact is surprising since it has been...
Proper selection of adjuvants is essential for effective weed control with herbicides. Unlike herbicides, adjuvants are not regulated - thus anything can be marketed for this purpose and manufacturers are not required to describe the active ingredients. This leads to the introduction of ...
Most agronomists are aware of the movement of Palmer amaranth into Iowa. Although known Iowa infestations are limited to five counties (Harrison, Fremont, Page, Lee and Muscatine) we are confident that it is present in many more counties. We are pleased by the number of people who have...
Parts of northwest Iowa are listed as ‘abnormally dry’ on the most recent edition of the Drought Monitor. I would agree with that – we are seeing some effects of dry weather this week.
Corn and soybean crops are wilting in the afternoon on some of the light soil...
Now that corn silks are out all over Iowa, many people scouting fields will notice a mixture of silk-feeding insects (e.g., corn rootworm, Japanese beetle, grasshoppers, etc.). Sometimes I get asked about how long corn rootworm will emerge. It all comes down to temperature. Like all insects,...