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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. 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
Subscribe to RSS FeedBy: Paul Kassel
The question comes up from time to time-‘is there an alternative to the Roundup Ready based seed and herbicide system for soybeans?’ Of course there is-we have conventional varieties with conventional herbicides and there is the Liberty Link seed and Liberty herbicide. ...
By: Bob Hartzler
In the past 10 years, herbicide resistance has grown into a significant problem that is limiting the ability of farmers to effectively control weeds. Farmers have relied on simple weed management in the past, but weeds have grown resistant to simple management systems....
By: Paul Kassel
The weather has turned really wet in much of my area. We are not use to seeing water running out of fields, water...
By: Paul Kassel
Iowa State University has conducted a survey of subsoil moisture since 1955. It is my understanding that there were some very dry conditions in the 1950s – and the ISU Agronomy department and ISU Extension responded by assessing soil moisture to help farmers make planting...
By: Mahdi Al-Kaisi
Soil tillage increases the potential for soil erosion and reduces water infiltration and subsoil recharge. Keeping crop residue on the soil surface this fall along with...
By: Paul Kassel
Soybean harvest has been complete in northwest/north central Iowa for a couple of weeks.
Corn harvest is wrapping up also. I would guess that there is about 15% of the corn that is yet to be harvested.
We have experienced a very warm and dry harvest season....
By: Rachel Klein
New online options were introduced in October 2015 for the Manure Applicator Certification Program to help applicators across the state become certified and meet requirements...
By: Greg Brenneman
In the past couple of weeks a lot of corn and soybeans went into storage with temperatures in the 60s. With grain this warm, moisture migration within the grain mass and spoilage can occur very quickly, even with fairly dry grain.
With average daily temperatures...
By Clarke McGrath and Mark Hanna
It’s always difficult to forecast weather, but if dry field conditions persist, the potential for combine and field fires this fall will continue to be a problem. There have already been dozens of significant field fires around the state,...
By: Clarke McGrath
It’s NH3 season, so here are some safety reminders from a guy who has seen how badly NH3 can injure people, first-hand. We work around it so much that sometimes we forget how caustic and dangerous it is.
By: Mahdi M Al-Kaisi
The Inaugural Soil Health Conference “Strategies for Building Healthy Soils” will be February 2-3, 2016 at the Scheman Building in Ames, Iowa. The goal of this conference is to increase awareness and understanding of soil health as a pivotal measure to...
By: Rebecca Ahlers
As a field agronomist, you see all sorts of interesting things in fields and never know what you may come across. I've seen and heard of slug injury early on in soybeans, but snails?
...
By: Clarke McGrath
In running plots and talking with growers the last week or so, the shift to more “fall-like” temperatures has people thinking, “Maybe I can run some fall NH3 while (if) I am held up waiting on trucks, grain drying, or other typical fall delays.”
Having been...
By: Clarke McGrath
Stalk rot issues have only gotten worse in recent weeks; in some cases, a lot worse. Stalk rot and resultant standability challenges have reportedly been issues across much of the state, and are not hard to find in most of southwest and west central Iowa.
...
By: Daren Mueller and graduate students, Xavier Phillips and Chelsea Harbach
Some are noticing plants with green, yellow or purple...
A 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.
...
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...