Blog

Flooding or flood damage in parts of Iowa, corn starting to tassel, corn rootworm, potato leafhoppers, waterhemp suriving post herbicide applications, and herbicide injury due to carryover or drift were "highlights" Iowa State University Extension and Outreach...

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Recent floods throughout Northwest Iowa have caused significant damage and loss to communities, homes, roads, livestock producers, crops and more. Unfortunately, this situation will continue long after the rain as high river levels continue to surge south.

Heavy rainfall can have economic and environmental consequences if flooded fields are left barren. Long-term damage to soil needs to be considered when planning for next season's crop.

Biological, chemical and physical soil health

Biologic health: Several changes...

European corn borer, known as “the billion-dollar bug,” was a pest of economic concern in the United States prior to the commercialization of Bt corn hybrids in 1996. With the widespread adoption of Bt traits, European corn borer populations have been effectively managed and areawide suppression...

Areas in Iowa remained on the drier side last week while other areas received some heavier rain and even some isolated large hail in areas. Herbicide injury, Asian copperleaf, tar spot, nitrogen management, and weeds surviving herbicide applications were some of the hot topics or issues...

The weather the last week was again drier than previous weeks, but also plenty windy some days. The drier conditions provided opportunities for lots of field activities including replating, spraying, making hay, and sidedressing. Prevent or delayed planting, herbicide injury, true armyworms,...

There is no 2024 Weed Science Field Day at the Curtiss Farm in Ames, IA planned for 2024. However, weed management and herbicide research experiments of interest are available for viewing. Interested parties should contact Damian Franzenburg (...

The last week brought some drier weather across the state for farmers to get back in the fields to plant as well as for other field activities to be completed including spraying, putting up first cutting hay, and sidedressing. Delayed planting, replant decisions, yellow corn, white grubs, true...

Moth flights into Iowa were drastically reduced during Week 8 (May 19 to May 25), partly because of fewer moths but also likely due to the fact that recent storms took out several traps across the state. Our cooperators recorded only 51 black cutworm (BCW) moths and, for the first time since...

This is part three of a three-part series on nitrogen management this spring. Read part one “Navigating Nitrogen Management in Wet Spring...

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...