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If you grow specialty crops in Iowa or another North Central state, please help us with a study to:

The survey is at: go.osu.edu/drift12 Thank you for your help. 

With spring temperatures arriving in Iowa, grain producers should pay extra attention to the condition of the grain in their bins.

Cold winter temperatures keep mold and insect activity low in stored grain. Rising spring temperatures can trigger spoiling of grain that is wet or low quality. The allowable storage time that grain can be safely stored can be estimated using charts found here.

Recent ISU Field Agronomist retirement announcements include Brian Lang and Paul Kassel.  This has created two openings for ISU Extension and Outreach Field Agronomists.  There are two positions available – one in northwest Iowa and one in south-central Iowa.

Inquiries on the ISU Field Agronomist position have asked the who, what and where regarding the position.  The following is a brief description.

Pulse width modulated (PWM) sprayer nozzle technology has been present in the ag industry for many years. These systems can maintain pressure as speed changes by adjusting the duty cycle of the nozzle, allowing more or less product to flow out. Many systems also offer individual nozzle section control, which can reduce overapplication of product at headlands and around field obstacles. Another key benefit of these systems that is not often well understood is turn compensation.

Due to extensive damage to corn fields last year from the derecho, volunteer corn is a looming threat for many fields this spring. Farmers intending to plant corn in these derecho-affected fields have limited options for managing volunteer corn, thus thoughtful planning is critical. I asked a collective of weed scientists their thoughts on best management practices for controlling volunteer corn prior to planting corn. I received responses from University colleagues in 8 states and Canada.

Over the last 5-years the Northwest Research Farm near Sutherland, IA has been conducting row spacing by plant population through cultivar trials with two different brands. The trials were not designed to compare brands, but rather provide another comparison to evaluate soybean row spacing and seeding rates. Over time there have been 20 cultivar-year combinations. This gives us an opportunity to look the cumulative data.

Many pastures in Iowa were stressed in 2020 from the dry conditions, storm damage, or overgrazing. Consider improving pasture stands and forage production with either frost seeding or interseeding this spring. Proper planning and preparation are needed to successfully improve pastures, and this ICM Blog “Still Time to Start Prepping for Pasture Renovations in 2021” addresses what should be done prior to any frost seeding or interseeding.

The 2020 registration for Xtendimax, Engenia and the extension of the Tavium registration included additional restrictions for protection of Endangered Species. 

Iowa counties with Endangered Species protection include Allamakee, Cerro Gordo, Clayton, Delaware, Dickinson, Dubuque, Emmet, Hancock, Howard, Jackson, Kossuth and Osceola.

Farmers and crop advisers are invited to attend the Southeast Iowa Agricultural Research Association annual meeting, which will be held virtually this year via Zoom on Tuesday, March 4, at 8 a.m.

One of the most common questions coming out of any winter is “how did the insects do?” In winters like this, where we have extended cold spells, farmers and agronomists alike want to know whether the cold was enough to kill some of our most common crop pests. Entomologists Erin Hodgson and Ashley Dean have written several articles in the past regarding how (and how well) insect pests overwinter. You can find those resources listed below.

Several Crop Protection Network (CPN) webinars are scheduled for this spring. Some of the best minds in agriculture will talk about ways to keep soybeans healthy.

Martin Chilvers, Michigan State University associate professor of plant pathology; Carl Bradley, University of Kentucky extension professor of plant pathology; and Trey Price, LSU AgCenter associate professor of plant pathology will give talks in February, March and April.

Iowa State University’s IPM Team has monitored field crop pests for a long time. The pests have changed over the years, but the goal is the same: to help inform farmers about pest activity in Iowa. Our moth trapping efforts target migratory moths. Black cutworm monitoring is a long-standing project in Iowa, and true armyworm has been included since 2017. Since the timing of arrival is variable between growing seasons, trapping these pests helps us predict when injury will occur.

Reliance on synthetic auxin herbicides (HG 4) has increased following the introduction of dicamba and 2,4-D resistant soybean. A common question among users of these products is: “If I use one trait repeatedly and select for resistance to that herbicide, will I be able to switch to the other trait to control the resistant population?” 

Before heading to the field this season, there are some maintenance items on your planter that you should consider addressing. Some items can be done in the off-season in the shop while others should be addressed in your first field. Follow this checklist to make sure that your tractor and planter are in optimum condition to give you a successful and stress-free spring.

Check that your technology is up to date

The following is a brief summary of new products available for weed control in corn and soybean in 2021. None of these are new sites of action herbicides, but are new premixes or revised formulations of existing active ingredients.

The 2021 Herbicide Guide for Iowa Corn and Soybean Production is now available as a free download at the ISUEO Extension Store.

In addition to numerous tables providing information on the myriad of herbicides for use in corn and soybean, the guide contains articles on volunteer corn management, update on dicamba labels for use on dicamba-resistant soybean, and tips for designing resilient weed management programs.

The final February climatological outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) show a strong signal for colder than average temperatures across much of the upper Midwest, including Iowa. On the precipitation front, there is an elevated probability for wetter than normal conditions. December, January and February are the driest three months for Iowa, so when looking at probabilities, it doesn’t take a lot of moisture (or lack thereof) to be above or below normal.

Hear the latest from Extension researchers across the United States who have recently summarized decades of research on soybean planting recommendations. A soybean planting consideration webinar will be hosted by Shawn Conley, Seth Naeve and Rachel Vann on Friday, February 19, 2021 from 11:45am to 12:45pm CST.

The countdown is on to the Midwest Cover Crops Council Conference! Organized by OMAFRA, the Ridgetown Business Development Centre, and SOILS AT GUELPH, this virtual conference running February 23-25 will have something for everyone! This year’s theme is Making Connections: Soil Health, Cover Crops, and People. For only $35, attendees get access to 10 incredible live discussions, plus the ability re-watch the sessions for one month following the conference.

CropsTV is entering week 10, the last week, however, there is still time to register. There are 3 live episodes this week to finish out CropsTV programming next week. You can still watch all 45 episodes on-demand through February. Learn more and register here today. You can view the full 10-week program, but read on to check out a quick preview of our week six presentations.

Tuesday, February 2 at 9 to 10 a.m.