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Fall is in the air and harvest is starting up across Iowa. It has been noted soybean are holding onto their leaves. This green bean effect is more often thought of as green stems, however, this year there are more leaves and petioles staying green and attached to the main stem. Take note this...

All it takes to start a fire is just a spark from an engine, an overheated bearing on a combine, or a hot exhaust manifold where some dirt and dry plant material have gathered. Dry plant residue, dusty conditions, low humidity levels and strong winds are a recipe for combine and field fires....

As the growing season winds down, ISU Extension field agronomists share what they are seeing out in fields or are getting questions on. Some of the common observations include the drought stress resulting in crops shutting down early, tar spot becoming more prevalent in fields, sudden death...

Before the rush of harvest gets here, take some time to get your grain bins ready for a new crop. The first step in minimizing grain spoilage from insects is to start with a clean bin. Grain-feeding pests can survive on residual grain, broken kernels, fines, foreign material, and molds...

I continue to receive tar spot reports from across Iowa. Given the moisture we have had the past couple of weeks and the growth stage of the crop, this is not surprising.  Tar spot development is favored by leaf moisture. As the growing season...

While the story of the "haves" and "have nots" continues across the state, some areas in NW did finally get some much-needed rain early this week. And unfortunately, the Zearing area in Central Iowa also had some hail damage. Some of the observations or questions coming in from the field this...

Twospotted spider mites have been noted in fields across much of Iowa already this summer, as much of Iowa is in abnormal or extreme drought (D0-D3, US Drought Monitor). Scouting for spider mites in field crops...

Recycling is the environmentally friendly and responsible way of disposing of empty pesticide containers. In 2021, over 803,000 pounds of pesticide containers were collected and recycled in Iowa. Recycling options vary depending on the container size.

Recycling containers 55...

The past week brought again spotty rainfall across the state. With the dry conditions and warmer temperatures forecasted there are concerns about what this may mean for the crops. Spider mites, corn rootworms, grasshoppers, aphids, and weed escapes were other observations or concerns coming from...

While crop development is behind this year due to the late planting, warm weather in the forecast will result in faster development than we prefer during reproductive growth stages of our crops. Appropriate identification of reproductive growth stages can be important for numerous reasons like...

Western and northern corn rootworms are serious pests of corn throughout the Corn Belt (Photo 1). We recommend that farmers scout every cornfield every year, regardless of the management tactic(s) used, to evaluate management decisions and prepare for next year. It is a good idea to scout for...

As mentioned in my previous ICM Blog article this year, June 20 was the cut-off date for over-the-top applications of dicamba products (Xtendimax, Engenia, and Tavium) in dicamba-tolerant...