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Just as taking good quality soil samples is important for making nutrient application recommendations, so is managing application rates and distribution of dry nutrients and lime. This also holds true for anhydrous ammonia applications and applications of solid and liquid manure but this article will focus on dry fertilizer application.

About a month ago, we received a flurry of questions on fall armyworms in hayfields and some crop fields in southern Iowa. While inquires tapered off towards the end of August, we’ve started to see another wave of reports about fall armyworms in hayfields this week. This is a reminder to take some time to scout hayfields and pastures for fall armyworms.

In a nutshell:

Key findings:

Objective: Evaluate the yield potential of winter wheat varieties in northern Iowa.

Key Takeaways:

Table 1. Management information for winter wheat variety trials in Kanawha and Nashua in 2024.

Table 2. Entrant, brand/variety, and type of winter wheat.

Again 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 time to venture into corn fields to make yield estimates as kernel abortion is less likely and plant stress will result in reduce kernel size or fill rather than kernel loss.

As the 2024 growing season winds down and as we gear up for harvest, check out what the ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists are seeing in their regions across the state.  

Corn Silage Harvest Tips for 2024

Recent cooler nights are hinting that fall is just around the corner. That also means corn silage harvest will be starting very soon. Corn is a high yielding, high energy, low protein forage that is commonly used for growing and finishing beef cattle, in cow-calf production systems, for growing dairy heifers, and for lactating dairy cows. Understanding proper harvest management and timing is critical for producing high-quality corn silage.

Join either the ISU Northern Research and Demonstration Farm or the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm for their fall field days coming up on September 5^th!

Soybean aphids, fall armyworms (mainly in southern Iowa), tar spot, and sudden death syndrome have been more of the hot topics or issues and concerns ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists have been either hearing or seeing. Read on for more specifics about what is happening in fields around the state.

Reports of fall armyworms have started to roll in, particularly in southern Iowa. Many of us may recall the severe fall armyworm pressure we had in 2021. We have no evidence at this point that issues will be as widespread as what we saw in 2021, but it is a good idea to keep an eye out for this destructive pest.

We often get questions on late summer weeds in pastures, and the general comment is “where did all these weeds come from?”  The short answer is from seed. When we think about pasture or late summer hay production, we need to understand that the weeds job is to survive and produce seed. Yellow foxtail is one of the bigger summer annual weeds that can be problematic in pastures and hayfields. This blog will provide more details on how to best manage this weed in pastures and hayfields.

Continue reading the blog here. 

Continue reading here. 

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.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service are collaborating on a series of cover crop fact sheets for Iowa farmers interested in adopting the practice or trying new cover crops to achieve specific goals on their operation.

Most corn fields across the state are getting into the R2 to R3 stage and soybeans are in the R2 to R4 stage. Some of the more common issues or observations ISU Extension field agronomists made or received about fields across the state this last week included diseases like rust in corn or white mold and SDS in soybeans, Japanese beetles, corn rootworm, soybean gall midge, and recent damage due to storms early this week.

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 cropland. We hypothesized that the intercropping system affects crop productivity and the growth of weeds.

Keep reading at this link to learn more!

Several reports of blister beetles are coming in from homeowners, vegetable producers, and row crop farmers this week. Although the adults are not generally considered plant pests, it appears decent numbers are causing some injury this summer.

Variable rainfall, low foliar disease pressure in corn (common rust, southern rust, gray leaf spot, bacterial leaf streak, tar spot), SDS in soybeans, yellow soybeans, soybean aphids, corn rootworm pressure, and weed escapes were some of the more common observations or question topics received by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Field Agronomists over the last week. Read on for more specifics about what’s happening around the state.