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Ashley Dean
April 30, 2020 9:41 AM
Black cutworm (BCW) and true armyworm (TAW) moths continue to be active in Iowa. Last week, our cooperators in southern Iowa reported 37 total TAW moths. April 24 seemed to be the date with the largest flights: 14 TAW moths were caught around the state on that day alone. BCW moths were more...
Rebecca Vittetoe
April 28, 2020 1:38 PM
The past week provided a big window for fieldwork ranging from tillage and fertilizer applications to spraying and planting across the state. According to the...
If you missed the live version, a recorded version of the April 22 “Stored grain handling and management webinar” is now available by going to this link: https://register.gotowebinar.com/recording/1109044800007797249....
Ashley Dean
April 24, 2020 10:12 AM
Despite the cold weather last week (April 12-18), moths were active throughout Iowa. April 13 had the most reports. Our cooperators around the state reported a total of 24 black cutworm (BCW) and 12 true armyworm (TAW) moths on that day alone. Figures 1 and 2 show the total moth captures in each...
Ashley Dean
April 24, 2020 9:24 AM
Moth trapping in Iowa is underway. Each year, we monitor field crop pests to help inform scouting activities in Iowa. In 2020, our moth trapping network includes black cutworm (BCW) and true armyworm (TAW; Figure 1). Both of these pests are migratory, making it difficult to predict where...
Angie Rieck-Hinz
April 24, 2020 8:10 AM
Passage of the 2018 Farm Bill in December of 2018 and passage of Senate File 599 in Iowa have paved the road to the legalization of growing hemp in Iowa. The permitting process is currently open in Iowa. The application deadline for the 2020 outdoor growing season is May 15, 2020. Listed below...
Sotirios Archontoulis
April 23, 2020 3:41 PM
Mark Licht
April 23, 2020 3:41 PM
Zachary Clemens
April 23, 2020 3:41 PM
The Forecasting and Assessment of Cropping Systems (FACTS) project is up and running with accurate, recent data to inform decision making for a variety of industry professionals. FACTS is an ongoing project developed to forecast and evaluate in...
This week has been the start of planting for many in Iowa. After the recent cold spell, conditions are favorable to start fieldwork back up again. It’s likely a significant portion of crop ground in Iowa will get planted this week, with the majority of the weather forecast being supportive of...
Rebecca Vittetoe
April 21, 2020 12:01 PM
While the cooler and snowy weather may have limited field activities last week, farmers are getting back to the fields across the state this week, with many getting started on planting. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach field agronomists share reports on what they are seeing and...
With quite a bit of grain getting put into storage last fall that was wetter than normal, this could lead to some potential issues with quality, handling, and safety issues this spring and summer.
To help address these potential issues, there will be a “Stored Grain Handling and...
Mark Licht
April 14, 2020 6:25 PM
Farmers in Iowa have been experimenting with very early soybean planting dates, from late March to mid-April. Based on reviews of the yield data, there is not a consistent yield benefit to planting early as opposed to planting the first week of May. But one benefit of very early planting is that...
The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) population east of the Rocky Mountains has declined for many reasons, but loss of milkweed (Asclepias spp.), its’ larval host plant, in the U.S. Midwest, is a contributing factor. To help increase the monarch population, an estimated 1.6...
By Madelynn Connell and Emily Heaton
Many people in the Midwest have recently experienced the bitter-cold temperatures brought on by arctic air falling into the mid-latitudes. While these temperatures can make people rather uncomfortable, they are also potentially dangerous to miscanthus...
Mark Licht
April 9, 2020 12:47 PM
March into early April has been warm enough and dry enough to the point that soil conditions are good for planting. The calendar date is a bit early; after all the crop insurance, replanting is April 11. Regardless, many are pondering if they should be planting corn already, and some maybe...
As nutrient and land management practices continue to change, more growers are considering strip-till. Advances in equipment technology, GPS, and application control systems have helped to overcome many challenges growers typically associate with strip-till. Combine this with the many...
Justin Glisan
April 7, 2020 3:54 PM
Rebecca Vittetoe
April 7, 2020 3:54 PM
Spring has sprung! Preparations for planting across the state are in full swing. Conditions over the last 30 days have been unseasonably warm across the Midwest with positive departures of anywhere from two to four degrees. Early March had a good stretch of dry conditions; the second half of the...
Whether you are thinking about trying strip-till or already using strip-till in your farming operation, the question of timing comes up—fall or spring? There are many factors that go into this decision, including availability of...
Rebecca Vittetoe
April 6, 2020 4:25 PM
In 2019 Iowa had over 460,000 prevented plant acres. As we prepare for the 2020 growing season, one concern we sometimes hear about with prevented plant acres is fallow syndrome. Fallow syndrome happens when the populations of “good fungi” known as vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) are...
Are You Getting the Most Out of Your Tractor?
Determining the proper ballast and tire pressure for your tractor should be a key part of spring equipment maintenance. Proper ballast and tire pressure will maximize traction and tire life while minimizing fuel consumption...
Wisconsin has been proudly known as America’s Dairyland for many years. However, recent data on dairy farms in the Driftless Region (Figure 1)...
Mark Licht
April 1, 2020 10:43 AM
This year let’s all toss out planting windows for corn. Farmers should be focused on when soil conditions are prime to plant. Soil temperatures need to be on the rise; 50oF and rising. Planting 24-36 hours before a cold spell—regardless of how long—is putting your seed at risk of cold...
Meaghan Anderson
March 31, 2020 7:55 AM
Angie Rieck-Hinz
March 31, 2020 7:55 AM
Extension specialists in Iowa and Minnesota are collaborating to provide a series of short, daily webinars for farmers, ag professionals, Extension personnel and other interested parties from April 6 to April 10. The theme is “Essential Row Crop Management" for spring 2020, with a focus on key...
Mark Licht
March 26, 2020 4:10 PM
The USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, along with the...
With the 2020 crop season approaching, ISU Extension has a tool available to help farmers, crop advisers and agronomists understand almost every machine display on the market, for everything from planting to harvest. The interactive monitor guide,...
With the recent alterations we've all had to make in our lives in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, many of your offseason field days, meetings and/or conventions have either been canceled or suspended indefinitely. This could have put a damper on your plans to receive crop management...