Blog

Rebecca Vittetoe
July 17, 2019 3:01 PM

Check out what ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists have been seeing and hearing about in fields across the state this past week. Some of the common issues observed in fields include insect defoliation in soybeans by pests like thistle caterpillars and Japanese beetles, weed management...

Crop Production

Ethan Stoetzer
July 17, 2019 2:15 PM

A new article recently released through the Crop Protection Network (CPN) discusses how to make fungicide decisions in corn and soybean, given the delayed planting scenarios across the Midwest. The article takes into account yield potential at various planting times throughout the North Central...

Diseases

Bob Hartzler
July 17, 2019 7:49 AM

Question: If the state and county are so concerned about wild parsnip, why aren’t they out spraying it? The ditches and county roads are full of it.1

...

Weeds

Bob Hartzler
July 17, 2019 6:29 AM

Meaghan Anderson
July 17, 2019 6:29 AM


Contestants at the 2018 State Fair Weed Identification Contest

The annual ISU Extension &...

Weeds

Mark Licht
July 15, 2019 4:25 PM

Justin Glisan
July 15, 2019 4:25 PM

The weather forecast for this next week is calling for daytime high temperatures in the 90s and even in the 100s across the state and low nighttime temperatures in the 70s to 80s with little chances of rainfall. This is raising concerns on what impact this can have on the crop, especially with...

Crop Production

Elizabeth Danielson
July 15, 2019 7:41 AM

The Disposal module within the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship website was recently revised and expanded. The new version, available at https://pesticidestewardship.org/disposal/, has additional content on disposal options for excess...

Pests

Erin Hodgson
July 12, 2019 4:06 PM

My lab has been collecting adult and larval soybean gall midge for a few weeks. We used emergence cages in several habitats to collect adults. This year, they were only collected from 2018 soybean fields in Iowa. Two of my trapping locations have identified second-generation adult captures this...

Crop Production, Insects

Erin Hodgson
July 12, 2019 7:57 AM

Ashley Dean
July 12, 2019 7:57 AM

After visiting several ISU Research and Demonstration Farms this week, it was evident the abundance and diversity of caterpillars in soybean is ongoing. These species represented several insect families. We easily found 8 species while looking at and sweeping early-reproductive soybean. Of...

Crop Production, Insects

Robin Pruisner
July 9, 2019 1:44 PM

Mark Licht
July 9, 2019 1:44 PM

Unfavorable planting conditions this spring commonly delayed, and in some cases, prevented crop planting. Producers looking to plant a cover crop to meet the requirements of their insurance coverage must work with their insurer on the details of the policy, and also be mindful of the legal...

Crop Production

Rebecca Vittetoe
July 9, 2019 9:33 AM

Soybean gall midge larvae, Japanese beetles, foliar diseases in corn, and weed management issues were some of the more common issues ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists came across in fields this past week. Read on for more information about what’s happening in specific regions across...

Crop Production

Rebecca Vittetoe
July 2, 2019 9:45 PM

The past week finally brought some heat but it also brought some storms across the state leaving areas seeing wind damage and/or hail damage. In addition to some of the storm damage, thistle caterpillars, Japanese beetles, and weed management issues seemed to be some of the main concerns across...

Crop Production

Josh Bendorf
July 2, 2019 9:56 AM

Danielle M Clark (Wilson)
July 2, 2019 9:56 AM

Iowa and Midwest agriculture has started to change in recent years. One visible change is the interest to grow crops for biofuel and bioproducts (referred to as “energy crops”). Fossil fuel usage contributes to the growing problem with greenhouse gases. Alternative energy options from plant...

Crop Production

Rebecca Vittetoe
June 25, 2019 10:10 PM

Brian Lang
June 25, 2019 10:10 PM

Meaghan Anderson
June 25, 2019 10:10 PM

Last week the USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) changed the rules for when farmers who planted cover crops on prevented plant acres will be permitted to hay, graze, or chop those fields....

Crop Production

Rebecca Vittetoe
June 25, 2019 9:50 AM

The wet weather, weed management challenges in corn and soybeans, and thistle caterpillars in soybeans continue to be common issues that Iowa State University Extension and Outreach field agronomists are hearing about and seeing in fields across the state. Read on for more information about what...

Crop Production

Alison Robertson
June 23, 2019 5:44 AM

In 2018, tar spot was detected in 12 counties in eastern Iowa. The disease was observed late in the growing season, at did not cause a lot of damage. In Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana, however,...

Diseases

Bob Hartzler
June 21, 2019 12:06 PM

Wild parsnip is a biennial that was introduced to North America by the earliest European colonists, it is documented to have been grown in Virginia as early as 1609 as a food crop. In his 1913 book The Weed Flora of Iowa, L. H. Pammel described wild parsnip as ‘common on roadsides in...

Weeds

Erin Hodgson
June 21, 2019 9:25 AM

I was a speaker at the ISU Northern Research Farm field day near Kanawha yesterday. So many questions about thistle caterpillar and soybean gall midge. I also saw some feeding injury to vegetative corn. Here are some pictures:

...

Crop Production, Insects

Ethan Stoetzer
June 19, 2019 4:04 PM

For those of you that are in need of some extra Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) Continuing Education Units (CEUs), you can earn up to 9.5 total CEUs simply by visiting the Crop Protection Network (CPN), and testing your knowledge of various pest management topics, such as plant diseases and...

Crop Production, Pests, Diseases

Meaghan Anderson
June 19, 2019 2:25 PM

Rebecca Vittetoe
June 19, 2019 2:25 PM

Staging crops is an underappreciated but incredibly important skill. One very important reason to know how to stage your crops is because herbicide products may have limits on what growth stages of the crop they can be applied. This ICM Blog will discuss staging corn and soybean as well as share...

Crop Production

Sotirios Archontoulis
June 19, 2019 10:50 AM

Mark Licht
June 19, 2019 10:50 AM

The Forecast and Assessment of Cropping sysTemS (FACTS) webpage has been updated to include regional scale forecasts. These regional scale forecast cover the three I-states providing weather, soil water, and soil N mineralization information....

Crop Production

Sotirios Archontoulis
June 19, 2019 10:23 AM

Mark Licht
June 19, 2019 10:23 AM

The Forecast and Assessment of Cropping sysTemS (FACTS) project was first launched in 2015 to provide yield and soil nitrogen predictions at individual fields. In addition to the field scale forecasts, in 2019 we added a regional scale component...

Crop Production

Rebecca Vittetoe
June 18, 2019 2:57 PM

With planting (and replanting) starting to wind down, farmers are turning their attention to post herbicide applications, sidedressing, and putting up hay. Weed management challenges and thistle caterpillars in soybeans have been some of the big issues across the state this past week. Check out...

Crop Production

Josh Bendorf
June 18, 2019 12:55 PM

Danielle M Clark (Wilson)
June 18, 2019 12:55 PM

Summer has arrived, and temperatures are heating up. Agricultural and natural resource workers endure long days spent outdoors or running field days. Summer outdoor activities are in full force for many including festivals, fairs, sports, farmer’s markets and much more! Time spent outside in the...

Crop Production

Erin Hodgson
June 18, 2019 11:35 AM

Warren Pierson
June 18, 2019 11:35 AM

This year I’ve had a few people ask for tips on scouting for common stalk borer. The larvae are moving from brome to corn throughout Iowa and it is a good time to scout for timely management....

Crop Production, Insects

Erin Hodgson
June 17, 2019 12:23 PM

The most effective way to make treatments decisions for pests with chewing mouthparts (e.g., Japanese beetle, bean leaf beetle, caterpillars, and grasshoppers) is to estimate defoliation. I’m a “lumper” and don’t try too hard to distinguish feeding by species. Replicated data over multiple...

Crop Production, Insects

Pages