Meaghan Anderson
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.
Subscribe to RSS FeedAgain this year, I joined my colleague Patrick Hatting, Farm Management Specialist for central Iowa, and checked several Polk County corn fields as a part of our “Polk County Yield Tour.” After R3 (milk stage) is a great...
As has been common this season, severe weather over the last several days has brought wind and hail to parts of Iowa. This article will address some of the concerns associated with late-season hail on crops.
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The benefits of intercropping in agricultural systems include the potential for better management of pests, pathogens, and weeds. Relay cropping (RC) consists of two or more crops grown in sequence with some overlap in the growth cycle, leading to sustainable intensification of the existing...
I’ve received several phone calls in the last couple weeks regarding waterhemp or other species that survived postemergence herbicide applications (in some cases, more than one!). While most herbicide applications have finished, it isn’t too late to evaluate how well your program worked, whether...
While the title is written with some jest, the sentiment is one I’ve been thinking about a lot this spring. With few highly effective postemergence herbicide options for waterhemp control, farmers must prioritize residual herbicides as a first line of defense. While there are numerous residual...
With all the alfalfa weevils, we’ve had quite a few questions on how do you know if a field is a threshold to take action? Or I’ve used my sweep net, what’s the threshold per sweep for alfalfa weevil?
First off, a sweep net can be a helpful tool to determine if alfalfa weevils are present...
With the quick planting that happened the week of April 22-26 and the lack of field activity since due to high winds and rain, some fields may have crops emerging that have had no preemergence herbicide. While some herbicides can be applied prior to or after crop emergence, many have...
With technology playing such an integral part of our ability to effectively manage crop production, it makes sense that it also plays a key role in effective scouting. One of the simplest technologies (now, anyway) is taking a good picture to share with a trusted advisor, a farmer client, or...
Proper spray nozzle selection plays a key role in effective pesticide applications. There are a lot of useful sprayer nozzle selection guides and even online resources or apps to assist with nozzle selection.
One additional new resource applicators may find useful is a new Purdue...
With the announcements of water usage restrictions in parts of Iowa, pesticide applicators may need to use alternative water sources for their pesticide...
AMES, Iowa – Planting season varies wildly from year to year and technology is always changing. Cool and wet conditions can dramatically delay planting. When soil conditions are remarkably dry, getting seed in the soil at the correct depth is a challenge. But just as each planting season is...
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Researchers recommend that soil temperatures at the 4-inch depth are 50° F and cooling before applying fall anhydrous ammonia or manure with a high ammonium nitrogen (N) content, such as with liquid swine manure.
Looking at the current 4-inch soil temperatures across the state, we did...
After the last several years of dry conditions, some pastures may benefit from a renovation in 2024. Proper planning and preparation are needed to successfully improve pastures with either a late winter frost seeding or no-till renovation with interseeding next spring. Below are some good...
Fall is a great time to take soil samples for testing. Soil testing is the only way to determine soil nutrient levels and test results can help make critical management decisions for the next growing season. Soil testing starts with the soil sample. It is critical to take a collection of...
We are once again receiving reports of the notable “edge effect” causing dramatic yield reductions along corn field edges. Occasionally, we get reports earlier in the season as it is often visible from drone or aerial footage in the late part of the season as field edges mature more quickly that...
Harvest has already started for many across the state. With the extra flurry of activity including more equipment and...
Harvest is approaching too quickly this fall. Between the dry summer and the spurts of hot weather in August and early September, crop standability is degrading quickly. This blog will go over some potential reasons for standability issues and ways to assess and prioritize fields for harvest....
Check out the upcoming field days being offered around the state this August. These field days will feature a variety of topics ranging from strip-till and conservation to forage production and corn rootworm management.
August 1, 2023 | Corn Rootworm Field Day...
Blister beetles are an occasional late-summer problem in Iowa alfalfa fields. The beetles feed on alfalfa and soybean foliage, but leaf loss is not of economic importance. The bigger concern with blister beetles is their toxicity to livestock when accidentally consumed in feed. The beetles...
The beautiful weather this past week means we’ll see a substantial increase in planted acres on this week’s Crop Progress and Condition Report. Farmers should carefully...
Agronomy in the Field is a workshop series for women that provides learning opportunities for forage and crop production. Focus is placed on developing agronomic decision-making skills that can be utilized on one’s own personal farm or family cropping operations, including water quality and...
The warmer weather forecast has me thinking about new beginnings and the resurrection of our dormant overwintering cover crops. While some will let the covers grow for some time yet, those covers in fields going to corn this spring will likely be terminated in the next few weeks. Regardless of...
As pastures begin to green up, unwanted weeds may start to pop up too. Early spring is an excellent time to clean up biennials, winter annuals, and some perennials present in pastures. This article will focus on management considerations for weeds we might find in the early spring.
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Over the past few decades, producers have begun to continually face herbicide resistant weed pressure throughout their cropping systems. Continuous use of the same herbicide program can quickly develop resistant weed biotypes, especially if there are no other weed management tactics being used...