Blog

Rebecca Vittetoe
October 4, 2022 4:11 PM

With harvest underway across the state, check out what ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists are hearing regarding how harvest is going, how are the crops yielding, and what types of end-of-the season issues they are receiving questions on.  

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Crop Production

Mark Licht
October 3, 2022 1:58 PM

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...

Crop Production

Ben Covington
September 27, 2022 9:08 AM

Ryan W Bergman
September 27, 2022 9:08 AM

Matt Darr
September 27, 2022 9:08 AM

Safety should be a major concern for all farmers during harvest, but as the season goes on, it can be easy to miss details or neglect safe practices that can put you or others at risk. Here are six simple safety tips to maintain throughout the season to keep yourself and your crew out of harm’s...

Crop Production, Equipment and Machinery

Joshua Michel
September 20, 2022 9:00 AM

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....

Crop Production, Equipment and Machinery

Alison Robertson
September 19, 2022 9:22 AM

It’s hard to believe another growing season has come and is almost gone. 2022 has had its share of challenges: a wet start, drought, corn root worm, soybean gall midge, pigweed, and (my favorite) tar spot. And now, as we approach harvest, we face final challenges like ear and crown rot.

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Plant Diseases

Rebecca Vittetoe
September 13, 2022 1:54 PM

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...

Crop Production

Meaghan Anderson
September 9, 2022 8:19 AM

Again this August, I joined my colleague Patrick Hatting, Farm Management Specialist for central Iowa, and checked several Polk County corn fields to make yield estimates. After R3 (milk stage) is a great time to venture...

Crop Production

Kristina TeBockhorst
September 6, 2022 4:15 PM

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...

Grain Handling and Storage, Insects and Mites

Mark Licht
August 26, 2022 7:30 AM

As we enter the time for aerial and broadcast overseeding of cover crops, now is a good time to think about how current weather, soil and crop conditions might affect things. First and foremost, there are parts of the state that are very dry and others that have been getting timely rains....

Crop Production

Alison Robertson
August 24, 2022 3:54 PM

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...

Plant Diseases

Ashley Dean
August 24, 2022 8:19 AM

Erin Hodgson
August 24, 2022 8:19 AM

Several labs in the Midwest have been monitoring the distribution of soybean gall midge in Iowa since 2018. Last year, we sampled many counties in western Iowa but only confirmed three new counties. This year, we focused on the counties just east of the distribution in 2021 and were able to...

Crop Production, Insects and Mites

Rebecca Vittetoe
August 16, 2022 3:38 PM

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...

Crop Production

Angie Rieck-Hinz
August 11, 2022 1:00 PM

Rebecca Vittetoe
August 11, 2022 1:00 PM

Terry Basol
August 11, 2022 1:00 PM

You are invited to attend the upcoming field days that will be hosted at the outlying Iowa State University Research and Demonstration Farms this fall. These field days will feature the latest information on crop production and crop management practices. Below is a list of the upcoming field...

Crop Production

Ashley Dean
August 11, 2022 9:16 AM

Erin Hodgson
August 11, 2022 9:16 AM

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...

Crop Production, Insects and Mites

Rebecca Vittetoe
August 9, 2022 10:54 PM

It’s the story of the haves and have nots when it comes to rainfall across the state. Unfortunately the areas that could really use the rain, seem to miss the rains. Consequently, some parts of the state are looking pretty tough with the drought conditions. Besides the drought conditions in...

Crop Production

Elizabeth Danielson
August 8, 2022 8:51 AM

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...

Pesticide Education

Joel DeJong
August 3, 2022 10:49 AM

Rebecca Vittetoe
August 3, 2022 10:49 AM

Parts of the state are classified as being abnormally dry to being in an extreme drought based on the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor map. With the hot temperatures returning this week and little to no rainfall...

Crop Production

Rebecca Vittetoe
August 3, 2022 9:05 AM

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...

Crop Production

Prashant Jha
July 29, 2022 7:16 PM

This is the time of the year when late-season pigweeds (waterhemp and Palmer amaranth) poke through the soybean canopy and produce seeds. These late-season pigweeds either emerged after herbicide applications, or survived inappropriately timed or less-than-effective postemergence herbicides. ...

Crop Production, Weeds, Herbicide Resistance

Meaghan Anderson
July 27, 2022 9:06 AM

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...

Crop Production

Rebecca Vittetoe
July 26, 2022 3:59 PM

Signs of stress could be seen in corn and soybean fields, especially in the drier areas of the state with the warmer temperatures last week. Most of the corn either has pollinated or is pollinating and soybeans are in the R2 to R3 growth stages. Corn rootworm beetles, Japanese beetles, drought...

Crop Production

Ashley Dean
July 22, 2022 12:44 PM

Erin Hodgson
July 22, 2022 12:44 PM

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...

Crop Production, Insects and Mites

Meaghan Anderson
July 19, 2022 5:13 PM

Rebecca Vittetoe
July 19, 2022 5:13 PM

With hot weather and few rain chances in the forecast, concern turns toward soil moisture reserves and the ever-important pollination timing in corn. ISU Extension field agronomists observed corn rootworm beetles, Japanese beetle feeding,...

Crop Production

Prashant Jha
July 18, 2022 1:26 PM

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...

Crop Production, Weeds

Erin Hodgson
July 18, 2022 7:52 AM

The most effective way to make treatments decisions for pests with chewing mouthparts (e.g., Japanese beetle, bean leaf beetle, caterpillars, and grasshoppers) is to estimate defoliation. I’m a “lumper” and don’t try too hard to distinguish feeding by species. Replicated data over multiple...

Crop Production, Insects and Mites

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