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Rebecca Vittetoe
June 5, 2018 9:03 PM
Despite the late start to #Plant18, especially in northern Iowa, planting has nearly wrapped up with corn and soybeans across the state. According to Monday’...
The Iowa State University Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program is proud to announce the creation of its own YouTube Channel through which to promote the efforts of Iowa State University scientists and researchers in providing means-tested crop and pest management solutions to stakeholders in...
Erin Hodgson
May 29, 2018 8:17 AM
Tom Petty said he was “learning to fly, but I ain’t got wings.” The last two weeks have made me think about flies way too much. The black flies, sometimes called buffalo gnats, have been terrible and making it hard to be outside. These small flies (1/4" in length) are black or gray and somewhat...
Rebecca Vittetoe
May 22, 2018 10:05 AM
While #Plant18 has basically wrapped up in the southern part of the state for corn and soybeans are about three-fourths planted, #Plant18 has been much slower in the northern part of the state. According to...
Adam Sisson
May 22, 2018 8:42 AM
Erin Hodgson
May 22, 2018 8:42 AM
True armyworm is a migratory pest that arrives in Iowa from southern states and lays eggs on living tissue. Adult females are attracted to fields with green plants, particularly weedy grasses or living cover crops. These plants serve as initial feeding sites for larvae. When these original host...
The 4-H Ag Innovators Experience Monarchs on the Move challenge tour is underway in Iowa, and geared up to hit over 70 events throughout the remainder of the spring and summer. So far, the tour has stopped in nine locations for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) field days...
Bob Hartzler
May 18, 2018 8:31 AM
Meaghan Anderson
May 18, 2018 8:31 AM
Cool conditions during planting season increase the potential for herbicide injury to seedlings due to slow emergence and reduced ability of the crop to metabolize herbicides. While herbicides may be responsible for emergence issues, most problems that have been brought to our attention seem to...
Mark Licht
May 14, 2018 6:07 PM
Planting conditions in northern Iowa, especially north of highway 20, is experiencing delays due to abundant rainfall. Corn planting progress is currently at 40% across the northern crop reporting districts compared to 65% and 70% for the state and 5-year average (...
Rebecca Vittetoe
May 8, 2018 9:43 AM
#Plant18 continues to progress across the state. According to Monday’s USDA Crop Progress Report, approximately 40% of Iowa’s expected corn crop has been...
Erin Hodgson
May 7, 2018 11:31 AM
Over the weekend, someone let me know they saw a western corn rootworm adult. Remember this pest overwinters as an egg that hatches in June! They get confused with closely-related species every spring: striped cucumber beetle. Striped and spotted cucumber beetles overwinter as adults and become...
Erin Hodgson
May 2, 2018 6:54 AM
A free app is now available to simplify the early detection of brown marmorated stink bug in the Midwest. This new invasive species has a wide host range, including soybean, corn, apples, tomatoes, grapes and peppers. App features include:
- A stink bug "look...
Sotirios Archontoulis
April 26, 2018 2:07 PM
Mike Castellano
April 26, 2018 2:07 PM
Mark Licht
April 26, 2018 2:07 PM
Every year is different. This year’s weather from January 1 to April 25 was cold and wet; a stark contrast to last year’s weather. While we know the differences in weather conditions every year, we do not know the implications on soil water and N at planting time. Field operations have just...
Rebecca Vittetoe
April 25, 2018 7:13 AM
It has been a slow start to #Plant18 in Iowa. The cooler and wet weather has kept many farmers out of the fields despite the fact that it is getting to be the end of April. Spring finally seems to have arrived (or at least for parts of Iowa), and with that farmers are not wasting anytime getting...
Most people say that this spring is one for the history books. No one seems to remember a colder or snowier start to the spring.
The following are some figures...
Nick Upah
April 17, 2018 9:37 AM
Mark Licht
April 17, 2018 9:37 AM
This spring has already brought on concerns about poor weather resulting in delays on corn planting. At this point in time, there is still time. It is highly important to remain patient and wait for the right corn planting conditions. Planting into marginal conditions can result in problems all...
The 29th David W. Staniforth Memorial Lecture was presented by Dr. Fred Gould on April 3rd. The lecture was titled "Will Genetically Engineered Pests Protect Health, Biodiversity, and Crop Production?". Dr. Gould is the Co-director of the Genetic Engineering and Society...
Rebecca Vittetoe
April 9, 2018 3:04 PM
Green cover crop fields are slowly starting to appear across the state. Despite the recent snow that fell across the state, #plant18 is right around the corner. Farmers should have a game plan in place for how they plan to terminate their overwintering cover crop. Killing cover crops with a...
Maya C Hayslett
April 9, 2018 1:22 PM
Registration is now open for the 2018 Youth Crop Scouting Competition to be held on July 30th. High school students (those completing grades 9-12) from Iowa are invited to compete and showcase crop scouting abilities in corn and soybean. The competition will be a one day event focusing on...
It is important to keep stored grain cool as we go into the spring and summer months. Some warming of stored grain may have already occurred during warmer weather and with the sun shining on the south side of grain bins.
With the weather forecast for Friday through next Tuesday...
Erin Hodgson
March 30, 2018 10:31 AM
Insecticide-resistant soybean aphids have emerged as a new challenge to farmers throughout the upper Midwest. In a new regional publication, we suggest strategies for managing soybean aphids resistant to pyrethroid insecticides. A few key points for managing aphids are:
The regional Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator (CNRC; http://cnrc.agron.iastate.edu/) website was recently updated with a revised Iowa N response trial database. The changes to the suggested N rates in Iowa are...
Virgil Schmitt
March 12, 2018 1:13 PM
Pest resistance is a world-wide challenge from hospitals to farm fields. I recently spent several days in the hospital battling an internal bacterial infection, which required intravenous antibiotics. I noted that the medical staff:
The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) recently released a report (A menace to monarchs) describing the threat to monarch butterflies posed by an increased use of dicamba. ...
Kristine Schaefer
March 1, 2018 2:58 PM
Elizabeth Danielson
March 1, 2018 2:58 PM
A collection of educational resources to help people on farms, orchards, forests, and other agricultural establishments comply with EPA’s revised Worker Protection Standard (WPS) regulation is now available online at http://pesticideresources.org/wps...
Erin Hodgson
February 27, 2018 2:12 PM
Adam Sisson
February 27, 2018 2:12 PM
The IPM team at Iowa State University has been monitoring for field crop pests for a long time. The target pests have changed over the years, but the goal always remains the same: help inform farmers about pest activity in Iowa. One long-standing...