Blog
Subscribe to RSS FeedInitial February temperature and precipitation outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicate elevated probabilities of colder than average conditions across much of the Midwest, including Iowa (not pictured). On the precipitation side, there’s a slightly elevated signal for drier...
Meaghan Anderson
January 21, 2020 4:19 PM
Rebecca Vittetoe
January 21, 2020 4:19 PM
Elizabeth Danielson
January 21, 2020 4:19 PM
Manufacturers of the dicamba products labeled for over-the-top use in soybean (FeXapan, Xtendimax, Tavium, Engenia) are again offering live and online training sessions for pesticide applicators planning to use those products during the 2020 growing season. Live sessions are offered during...
Rebecca Vittetoe
January 17, 2020 1:21 PM
Meaghan Anderson
January 17, 2020 1:21 PM
This winter we will be hosting several soil fertility workshops around the state to help farmers better understand how to interpret soil test results and make soil fertility recommendations.
Join us for one of these workshops to:
- Learn how soil tests are done and what they...
Bob Hartzler
January 13, 2020 4:30 PM
Although ‘pure’ botanists often scoff at the use of common names for plants, common names are a useful tool when working with domesticated plants and weeds since the pool of species is relatively small. One problem with common names is they may vary from location to location. When I started...
Many producers put grain into their storage bins last fall at higher moisture contents than normal, due to late crop maturity and less in-field drying in 2019. For grain stored wetter than recommended for storage through the winter months (above 15% for corn and 13% for soybeans), it is...
Ethan Stoetzer
January 3, 2020 8:47 AM
The new crop season is just around the corner, and we want you to be prepared for the yield-reducing disease, insect and weed challenges affecting your fields. That's why the Iowa State Extension Store is making available, for a limited time, the ...
Ethan Stoetzer
December 10, 2019 9:18 AM
The Crop Protection Network (CPN) has added an additional publication series to its wealth of print and PDF resources. Beginning in 2020, CPN’s online library will feature annual Research Updates, highlighting advancements in...
Passing a farm operation to the next generation is usually one of the biggest and most challenging decisions farm families will ever make.
Many things are at stake – money, emotions, goals and lifestyles – and farm families need to think critically about where they’re at today, and where...
Ethan Stoetzer
November 26, 2019 9:25 AM
Soybean seedling diseases are a major yield-reducing factor in soybean production. In 2017 alone, it was estimated that over 50 million bushels of grain were lost in the U.S. as a result of seedling diseases, and nearly 2 million bushels were lost in Ontario, Canada. As weather patterns — such...
Emily Heaton
November 22, 2019 9:58 AM
Danielle M Clark (Wilson)
November 22, 2019 9:58 AM
Register for the University of Iowa Biomass Fuel Project Update Meeting!
Friday December 13th @ 10-11:30AM (public meeting)
Linn County Extension Office
383...
Charles R Hurburgh
November 13, 2019 3:31 PM
Update Note: This was first published November 13, 2019. As of November 19, 2019 we are expecting a few days of warm weather; dewpoints will get above freezing. It would be counterproductive to keep the fans on during this period.
The late planting has caused higher moisture corn...
Ethan Stoetzer
November 12, 2019 1:11 PM
The Crop Protection Network (CPN) recently launched its new “Field Crop Disease Loss Calculator” research tool, complete with years of historical data for estimated losses caused by disease in corn and soybeans in the U.S. and Ontario, Canada...
Bob Hartzler
November 11, 2019 7:08 AM
Waterhemp’s rise to the Cornbelt’s worst weed is one of the Cornbelt’s more fascinating weed-related events over the past 40 years. Waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) is native to the United States but is a relative newcomer to crop fields. Prior to waterhemp’s ascent, redroot pigweed...
As fields get harvested many farmers are making fall manure applications. Managed properly, manure can be an excellent source of valuable nutrients, but it can also pose risks to water quality when applied long before a crop is present to take up the nitrogen provided by manure. This ICM Blog...
The meteorological winter (December-January-February) temperature and precipitation outlooks were recently released by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC). In winter, the phase of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate signal typically influences temperature and precipitation...
Rebecca Vittetoe
October 30, 2019 8:30 AM
Erika Lundy
October 30, 2019 8:30 AM
Denise Schwab
October 30, 2019 8:30 AM
Beth Reynolds
October 30, 2019 8:30 AM
With a growing number of cover crop acres across the state of Iowa, some producers are looking to cover crops to help extend their grazing season. While cover crops have the potential to be an extra forage source and reduce feed costs, there are challenges with using cover crops as a forage...
Charles R Hurburgh
October 29, 2019 5:48 PM
Recent reports have Iowa corn at about 40% harvested and Iowa soybeans about 66% harvested. The late crop has corn moistures running from around 19% in...
You may be in the thick of harvest, but don’t forget to cool stored grain. With forecast average day/night temperatures of 35 to 40 in the coming ten days, the time is right to cool any grain that went into the bin at higher temperatures. This article will review some tips and rules of thumb for...
Mark Licht
October 29, 2019 11:40 AM
It doesn’t happen every year, but it does occur – snow accumulation before harvest is complete. Here are some considerations and tips for dealing with this unique situation:
Meaghan Anderson
October 22, 2019 2:43 PM
Angie Rieck-Hinz
October 22, 2019 2:43 PM
Rebecca Vittetoe
October 22, 2019 2:43 PM
Did insects bug you and your crops this year? As the 2019 growing season winds down, ISU Extension field agronomists are seeking information from producers and retailers across the state regarding what the most problematic insect pests were this growing season.
Give us...
Bob Hartzler
October 19, 2019 8:58 AM
Combines are the most important seed dispersal mechanism for weeds in our cropping system. While a small amount of seed may leave the field with grain, most weed seed that enter the combine with the crop are either spread throughout the field or carried to other fields. Harvest weed seed...
Charles R Hurburgh
October 17, 2019 1:41 PM
Rebecca Vittetoe
October 17, 2019 1:41 PM
Meaghan Anderson
October 17, 2019 1:41 PM
Temperatures fell into the low 30’s and upper 20’s in most of Iowa over the weekend of October 11-13. Because of the very late planting season, some crops were immature enough to be injured by the freezing temperatures. This ICM Blog will address frost damage concerns to soybeans.
...
Ethan Stoetzer
October 15, 2019 10:36 AM
Iowa State University Extension Plant Pathologist Daren Mueller will be featured on a North Central Climate Collaborative (NC3) webinar later this month. The focal point of the discussion will be around how climate change is impacting disease expression in both corn and soybean in the North...
Rebecca Vittetoe
October 11, 2019 3:09 PM
The weather forecast is calling for temperatures to dip below or close to freezing this weekend across the state of Iowa. What does this mean for forage crops, particularly forage crops such as sudangrass, sorghum, and sorghum sudangrass hybrids?
A frost event, even a light frost, with...
Alison Robertson
October 11, 2019 7:16 AM
Tar spot is the latest new disease of corn to be observed in the U.S. The disease was first observed in Indiana in 2015. In 2016, it was found in eastern Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida. Last growing season, the disease caused significant damage to corn in northern Illinois,...