Blog

Cutworms and armyworms, flooding, replant considerations, and weed management/herbicide application considerations were some of the more common questions ISU Extension Field Agronomists received over this last week. Read on for more specifies about what is happening and being seen across the...

Postemergence herbicide application season is already upon us in much of Iowa, but with the delayed crop planting in some areas, it may extend through much of the month of June. Herbicide application timing should always focus on the sizes of weeds targeted but remember that many products use...

The trapping season for true armyworm (TAW) and black cutworm (BCW) has come to an end. We appreciate our cooperators for tirelessly checking traps over the last two months and reporting their captures so we can provide the most accurate scouting information for these pests. To recap, we had 44...

This year’s Weed Science Field Day will be held on Thursday, July 14 at the Iowa State University Curtiss Farm, Ames, IA.

Although the 2022 cold and wet spring has significantly delayed corn and soybean planting in Iowa, we are still on track to demonstrate corn and soybean research plots...

Weather conditions were quite favorable this past week allowing Iowa farmers 5.4 days for fieldwork across Iowa allowing for significant planting progress across nearly all of Iowa.  With that said, there are still isolated pockets where soils remain too wet to allow for fieldwork.  Frost...

Last week, moth flights into Iowa were slightly lower than previous weeks. In total, our cooperators captured 55 true armyworm (TAW) moths and 102 black cutworm (BCW) moths during Week 7 (May 8 to May 14).

Week 7 report:

Moths of each species were captured almost...

Farmers finally caught a break last week and were able to make a lot of planting progress across most of the state. Some areas that did not miss the rains last week had more limited progress made with getting the crop in the ground. The earlier planted crops and even some of the crops put in...

The planting is slow in 2022 – according to last Monday’s USDA Crop Progress Report corn planting was at 14% and soybean planting was at 7% complete. This is nearly two weeks behind normal. This week’s warm temperatures have driven up soil temperatures but wet soil conditions are still the...

While not much planting progress was made last week (again), the warmer and drier weather this week should provide more favorable conditions for fieldwork and planting. Some of the hot topics over the last week across the state included concerns about cover crop termination, seeding forages yet...

Corn and soybean planting is progressing very slowly across the state. The starting soil conditions (temperature, water, nitrogen) however are very different from last year. In this blog we’ll benchmark soil conditions using simulated data from...

Last week, we saw an increase in the number of moths caught around the state. This is not surprising considering a few storm systems moved through the Midwest, and strong southerly winds prevailed on April 23 and during the late part of last week. In total, our cooperators captured 105 true...

Brrrrrrrrr.  Is summer ever going to come?  It’s cold.  It’s wet.  Planting progress is behind and everyone is starting to get antsy. When we finally get our seed in the ground, as Emily Unglesbee so eloquently wrote, “...