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Daren S Mueller
March 16, 2016 7:15 PM
Alison Robertson
March 16, 2016 7:15 PM
Alison and I spent the week editing the nearly final version of two national publications about corn and soybean diseases. These will be published by our society, APS Press, like the Fungicides for Field Crops ...
While walking through the Memorial Union a painting caught my eye. The resemblance between Palmer amaranth seedheads and the artwork was striking, my photography skills not so much.
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Erin Hodgson
March 15, 2016 2:44 PM
I was curious to compare growing degree days (GDDs) over the last couple summers. It seemed like 2014 and 2015 were cool, wet springs with a slow start for insects. But I wanted to check actual temperature history instead of relying on my memory. I used the ISU Agronomy...
Erin Hodgson
March 14, 2016 3:19 PM
While going through the extension winter gauntlet, I talked a lot about corn rootworm. It is one of most important pests in the Midwest and should be on your mind when deciding on hybrids and insecticides. I often got questions about using stacked and pyramided corn hybrids, and there seemed to...
Question: What was the most popular POST herbicide program for corn in Iowa Crop Reporting Districts 1 and 2 (NW and NC Iowa) in 1985?
Answer: 2,4-D + Banvel (dicamba), with 78 and 64% of the acres treated, respectively.
Every time I see an...
Erin Hodgson
March 8, 2016 8:58 AM
Generally speaking, warmer winters mean more insects are likely survive because they aren’t exposed to lower lethal temperatures. An early spring can also benefit insects, particularly those species we consider field crop pests, because they are physically larger when crops emerge and can cause...
Erin Hodgson
March 4, 2016 10:15 AM
It’s not easy for insects to survive Iowa winters. Some literally can’t - they freeze to death or migrate away to warmer climates. But many insects have adapted to cold temperatures by entering diapause, which is like hibernation. Diapause is a developmental arrest to survive adverse seasons...
Erin Hodgson
March 3, 2016 11:45 AM
Many of you know about naturally-occurring entomopathogens in the soil that can kill or suppress insects. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a well-known example of a bacteria that kills insects, and was eventually included in plants as a transgenic protein. My Ph.D. student, Eric...
Mark Licht
March 3, 2016 10:48 AM
The deadline for farmers to submit data for the "Soybean Yield Benchmarking Project" has been extended to April 1, 2016.
The “Soybean Yield Benchmarking Project” is a collaborative effort and is funded by soybean checkoff funds through the North Central Soybean Research...
The overwintering monarch population in Mexico was reported last week and has increased for the second consecutive year (Figure 1). Four hectares of forest (9.9 acres) were covered with monarchs, up from the low of 0.7 hectares in the winter of 2013-14. While this is good news, the low numbers...
Meaghan Anderson
February 25, 2016 2:23 PM
Bob Hartzler
February 25, 2016 2:23 PM
This is fourth and final part of a series focused on using multiple, effective herbicide groups at effective rates as part of a long-term weed management system.
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A two-page, print-friendly version of the Herbicide Use May Restrict Grazing Options for Cover Crops is now available to download for free at the Extension Store.
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Meaghan Anderson
February 18, 2016 9:20 AM
Bob Hartzler
February 18, 2016 9:20 AM
This is part three of a four-part series on using multiple, effective herbicide groups at effective rates as part of a long-term weed management system.
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On Feb. 2-3, the Inaugural Soil Health Conference brought 235 people together to discuss and bring awareness to soil health issues.
In addition to influential presentations by invited speakers, the conference had 20...
Meaghan Anderson
February 11, 2016 9:44 AM
Bob Hartzler
February 11, 2016 9:44 AM
This is part two of a four-part series on using multiple, effective herbicide groups at effective rates as part of a long-term weed management system.
...
Meaghan Anderson
February 4, 2016 9:23 AM
Bob Hartzler
February 4, 2016 9:23 AM
This is part one of a four-part series on using multiple, effective herbicide sites of action (herbicide groups) at effective rates as part of a long-term weed management system.
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Meaghan Anderson
February 3, 2016 7:52 AM
Last fall, I collected common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seed to establish some plots on a farmer cooperator's land over the winter. My plan was to seed directly into a standing cool-season grass adjacent to a crop field and determine the effectiveness of this method for plant...
The weed control results from 2015 are now available. The report includes experiments and demonstrations conducted at several of the Iowa State University Research Farms, as well as farmer fields. Highlights include experiments that report on herbicide tactics to control waterhemp...
Folks will have the opportunity to learn about building healthy soils on Feb. 2-3 at the Scheman Building in Ames, Iowa at the Inaugural Iowa Soil Health Conference.
Producers, agronomists, faculty, scientists, students, and...
Many people have high expectations for the new herbicide resistant traits, but it’s important to remember that these products are not the next “silver bullet” for successful weed management. A group of weed scientists in the eastern United States evaluated glyphosate resistant (GR) waterhemp and...
The new 2016 Herbicide Guide for Iowa Corn and Soybean Production publication provides information on product and management updates, the role of preemergence herbicides in...
It looks like the month of March has arrived in December.
There have been rain amounts of 1.3 to 2.3 in the area. I know that is not much compared to the 3-4 inches of rain in central Iowa. However, it looks really wet in the area. There is water standing in the fields and water running...
Interest in cover crops has dramatically increased due to their many potential benefits. In addition to conservation purposes, cover crops can provide forage for livestock producers. It is important for livestock producers to consider restrictions on labels of herbicides used earlier in the...
The 2015 Integrated Crop Management Conference came to an end on Dec. 3, 2015, after two full days of workshops and seminars from Iowa State University faculty and extension specialists, and invited speakers from around the United States.
Continuing education...
The upcoming soil health conference in Ames, Iowa, February 2-3, 2016 is fast approaching. This Inaugural Soil Health Conference will provide a unique opportunity to Certified Crop Advisers (CCA) who are seeking soil and water credits. The conference has been approved for a total of 17 soil and...