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Meaghan Anderson
May 26, 2020 11:03 AM
While all applicators should carefully read their pesticide labels, newer products like the dicamba products labeled for use over-the-top use in soybean have many more application restrictions and recordkeeping requirements than others. This blog will describe the new language in the ‘...
Erin Hodgson
May 22, 2020 11:59 AM
Ashley Dean
May 22, 2020 11:59 AM
Meaghan Anderson
May 22, 2020 11:59 AM
Thanks to ISUEO Field Agronomist Meaghan Anderson and Extension Entomologist Ashley Dean, I had a great field scouting adventure in central Iowa. First visiting the field for poor germination and other issues, Meaghan was digging in the soil in search of more information and found grubs! So of...
Last week, the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Crops Team held its Field Scouting Basics Workshop for those who will be scouting fields this growing season. For those that might have missed this day-long virtual seminar, we've uploaded the entire virtual workshop to the Iowa...
I try to stay focused on important weed management issues, but people1 send me ads they feel need to be called out for breaking the principles of integrated weed management. Today's entry into the Herbicide Ad Hall of Shame is a promotion for Tough herbicide. I don't...
Ashley Dean
May 20, 2020 5:00 PM
By this time in the spring, moth activity typically quiets down a bit. Not this year – we were still seeing large flights of moths last week! True armyworm (TAW) activity picked up again with a total of 84 TAW moths reported across the state. Black cutworm (BCW) captures decreased compared to...
Ashley Dean
May 20, 2020 3:36 PM
Erin Hodgson
May 20, 2020 3:36 PM
Western and northern corn rootworms are serious corn pests in Iowa and the Corn Belt, reportedly responsible for over 1 billion dollars in yield loss and control costs annually in the United States. The larvae tunnel into and consume corn roots, which can reduce nutrient and water uptake (Figure...
Mark Licht
May 20, 2020 1:54 PM
Zachary Clemens
May 20, 2020 1:54 PM
With the weather Iowa has recently experienced and the time of year it is, we all can expect to see purple and yellow corn and even some tattered leaves: the ugly ducklings of your field. Don’t fret just yet, cooler temperatures and wet conditions are all contributing factors to the mosaic...
Erin Hodgson
May 20, 2020 7:42 AM
Iowa’s most significant soybean insect pest, soybean aphid, has host-alternating biology. This species has multiple, overlapping generations on soybean in the summer. Fall migration to buckthorn is based on senescing soybean, and decreasing temperatures and photoperiod. For the majority of the...
Rebecca Vittetoe
May 19, 2020 9:20 PM
Some much-welcomed rain fell across the state this past week. Prior to the rain, farmers continued to make progress on getting the crop in the ground. According to the...
Mark Licht
May 19, 2020 8:04 PM
Planting is nearly wrapped up for corn, with soybean soon to follow. What a difference a year makes considering the last two years have seen planting delayed. That means corn and soybean emergence should be good, right? Wrong! The cost of seed makes it essential to get the highest, most uniform...
Angie Rieck-Hinz
May 19, 2020 10:57 AM
As crops start to emerge, now is a good time to get out and do early-season scouting to see how things went with planting and to also check for any early season crop disease and insect issues.
Check out our most recent Vlog from the Field Extension Education Lab (FEEL), where we discuss soil temperature, hypocotyls, radicles and cotyledons.
Guest starring in this episode is Meaghan Anderson, field agronomist in central Iowa and an extension field specialist at Iowa State....
As we on the Iowa State Extension Crops Team have been adjusting our programming and schedules to ensure we're still able to provide quality resources throughout COVID-19, we'd like to introduce you to one new resource: The Field Extension Education Laboratory (FEEL) Vlog series.
While we...
Ashley Dean
May 13, 2020 3:57 PM
Even with some cooler temperatures last week, moths were still being reported around the state. True armyworm (TAW) activity was lower during Week 6 than in previous weeks with a total of 40 TAW moths reported across the state. However, black cutworm (BCW) captures increased dramatically last...
Years like this, when corn-planting progress is ahead of normal and we get really optimistic about it, frost raises its ugly head. In the NW corner of Iowa, about a third of the years will include a frost in May. About ten percent of the time it is after May 10. Watching the recovery of emerged...
Rebecca Vittetoe
May 12, 2020 8:53 PM
What a difference the year makes! According to the May 11th USDA Crop Progress Report, 91% of the expected corn crop and 71% of the expected...
Although most crop fields have not reached the stage for regularly planned POST herbicide applications, there likely are situations where people would like to get weeds controlled prior to the rain forecast later this week. The question is what impact will this weekend’s frost have on herbicide...
Sotirios Archontoulis
May 8, 2020 11:07 AM
Mark Licht
May 8, 2020 11:07 AM
Zachary Clemens
May 8, 2020 11:07 AM
The Forecasting and Assessment of Cropping Systems (FACTS) from Iowa State Extension and Outreach results as of May 5 extrapolate that Iowa soils a bit drier than neighboring Illinois or Indiana, but shouldn’t be an issue moving forward:
...
Ashley Dean
May 6, 2020 1:53 PM
Moth activity continues in Iowa. During Week 5, April 27 had the most true armyworm (TAW) moths reported across the state. Black cutworm (BCW) flights were a bit spread out throughout the week. In total, 78 BCW moths were reported across the state, which is the highest weekly total of the year...
Erin Hodgson
May 6, 2020 1:27 PM
Thin Lizzy predicted it in 1976. Actually, the boys and girls are back in town. Over the weekend, the first painted lady butterflies were spotted in Iowa. Why care about this beautiful butterfly? It seems like a distant memory, but remember the thistle caterpillar bonanza on soybean last summer...
Mark Licht
May 6, 2020 12:58 PM
Friday and Saturday night will have cold temperatures reach into northern Iowa and maybe even southern Iowa. Below is a National Weather Service low temperature prediction (https://digital.weather.gov) for Saturday, May 9. Notice that north of Interstate...
Rebecca Vittetoe
May 5, 2020 1:49 PM
Last week provided another big window for planting and other field activities across the state. According to the May 4th USDA Crop Progress Report...
Ed Zaworski
May 4, 2020 1:42 PM
Ethan Stoetzer
May 4, 2020 1:42 PM
Clinic update
As the time for crop germination approaches, the staff of the Plant and Diagnostic Clinic (PIDC) want to reiterate that while the clinic is running at a reduced capacity, physical samples will still be accepted this season. Staff still request that interactions with the...
Justin Glisan
May 4, 2020 8:26 AM
Meaghan Anderson
May 4, 2020 8:26 AM
Rebecca Vittetoe
May 4, 2020 8:26 AM
Late last week, Dr. Justin Glisan, State Climatologist of Iowa for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, wrote some really interesting comments about the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center monthly outlooks. We’ve...
Planting occurred at a near record pace in much of Iowa due to lack of rain in late April. This string of dry weather also allowed most herbicide applications to be made in a timely fashion, but now there is concern about herbicide performance after prolonged time on the soil surface.
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