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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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 ...
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.
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...
Extension specialists at Iowa State and across the U.S. present this new one-hour...
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...
In 2021, we initiated the first year of the regional corn rootworm monitoring network with the Corn Rootworm IPM working group. This working group was formed to address regional concerns as corn rootworm populations continue to overcome Bt corn hybrids and become more challenging to manage. The...
Since its discovery as a new species in 2019, soybean gall midge continues to be found in new counties across five states in the Midwest. For some farmers, the presence of soybean gall midge had a significant impact on soybean yield. The persistence of this new pest in existing areas and its...
Row spacing for both corn and soybean is an important decision to make for any crop producer and can lead to high yielding crops. Corn row spacing is important to maximize yield as well as to keep balanced with economic output.
Corn row widths continue to decrease as time moves forward....
Planting soybean in the same field that just grew soybean is not recommended. Soybean yield will suffer even before factoring in environmental conditions, weather, and pest/disease pressures.
Four different studies in Minnesota and Wisconsin have shown a yield decline of at least 5% and...
The northwest Iowa fall survey of subsoil moisture completed by Iowa State...
Farmers may be planning to grow soybeans in 2022 in fields cropped to soybeans in 2021 because of high prices and limited availability of inputs for corn production. Doing this in fields infested with the soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is always a risky proposition. But growing beans on beans in...
Cover crops can enhance soil health by capturing nutrients, slow erosion and can reduce the need for herbicides. Growers face many different decisions in the field, and the latest edition of the Cover Crop Field Guide will assist in some of those choices.
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Across Iowa, the forecasted average day/night temperatures are between 30 to 40 degrees F in the coming ten days, so the time is right to cool any grain that went into the bin at higher temperatures. Good harvest conditions and warm weather early this fall mean that there is on-farm grain that...
Following up on Meaghan’s blog post on October 5 about sap beetles in corn grain, I received a few more questions about infested bins. There are MANY insects that cause losses in stored grain and food...
The November and the meteorological winter (December-January-February) temperature and precipitation outlooks were recently released by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC). Below is a recap of what those outlooks are predicting and the potential impacts those outlooks could have on...
Corn Hybrids
Choosing corn hybrids is one of the most crucial crop management decisions to be made. There are a range of factors to consider, most notably the weather, which makes it difficult as this decision is typically made months in advance of the growing season....
With rising fertilizer prices, and concerns about possible shortages, it pays to time our applications of anhydrous ammonia and manure well. When the value is high, the focus on management is even more important.
Anhydrous costs are reported to have risen to $850 or more per ton.
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I have yet another weird insect situation to add to what feels like an already comprehensive list of issues for 2021. Last week, a farmer in central Iowa brought a grain sample into an ISU county extension office that was full of small, black beetles. These beetles had survived through the...
Much of Iowa is currently abnormally dry or in some state of drought according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. If dry field conditions persist, the potential for combine and field fires this fall could...