The Forecasting and Assessment of Cropping Systems (FACTS) project is up and running with accurate, recent data to inform decision making for a variety of industry professionals. FACTS is an ongoing project developed to forecast and evaluate in real-time soil-crop dynamics at a field and regional scale. It uses weather, soil and crop information combined with machine learning to provide industry professionals the information they need to maximize yield and minimize economic impacts.
Soil Temperatures
Soil temperatures have cooled due to the cold front that moved in last week. Southern Iowa soils had risen to 50 degrees and above last week, but have dipped and remain below 50 across the state as of April 22.
Nitrogen
The cold front that moved through Iowa last week decreased nitrogen mineralization in the soil, but this is not alarming because there is time to make up that loss. Nitrogen mineralization will increase a lot as the season moves along.
Soil water
Water in the topsoil is not a concern, neither too wet nor too dry. As soil depth increases, it becomes wetter which is also normal for spring in most areas of Iowa.
Sotirios Archontoulis Professor of Integrated Cropping Systems
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...
Mark Licht Associate Professor
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 en...