Blog

In order to keep up with any changes and updates on pesticide uses and restrictions from year to year, it’s important to thoroughly read the label before any applications are made, even if the same product was used the previous year. If nothing else, it helps to refresh our memory on the...

More large flights of moths were reported across Iowa last week. In fact, the statewide weekly totals for both true armyworm (TAW) and black cutworm (BCW) far exceeded those of previous weeks. Across the state, our cooperators reported a total of 243 TAW moths and 188 BCW moths between May 17...

While all applicators should carefully read their pesticide labels, newer products like the dicamba products labeled for use over-the-top use in soybean have many more application restrictions and recordkeeping requirements than others. This blog will describe the new language in the ‘...

Last week, the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Crops Team held its Field Scouting Basics Workshop for those who will be scouting fields this growing season. For those that might have missed this day-long virtual seminar, we've uploaded the entire virtual workshop to the Iowa...

By this time in the spring, moth activity typically quiets down a bit. Not this year – we were still seeing large flights of moths last week! True armyworm (TAW) activity picked up again with a total of 84 TAW moths reported across the state. Black cutworm (BCW) captures decreased compared to...

With the weather Iowa has recently experienced and the time of year it is, we all can expect to see purple and yellow corn and even some tattered leaves: the ugly ducklings of your field. Don’t fret just yet, cooler temperatures and wet conditions are all contributing factors to the mosaic...

Some much-welcomed rain fell across the state this past week. Prior to the rain, farmers continued to make progress on getting the crop in the ground. According to the...

As crops start to emerge, now is a good time to get out and do early-season scouting to see how things went with planting and to also check for any early season crop disease and insect issues. 

As we on the Iowa State Extension Crops Team have been adjusting our programming and schedules to ensure we're still able to provide quality resources throughout COVID-19, we'd like to introduce you to one new resource: The Field Extension Education Laboratory (FEEL) Vlog series.

While we...

Years like this, when corn-planting progress is ahead of normal and we get really optimistic about it, frost raises its ugly head. In the NW corner of Iowa, about a third of the years will include a frost in May. About ten percent of the time it is after May 10. Watching the recovery of emerged...

Although most crop fields have not reached the stage for regularly planned POST herbicide applications, there likely are situations where people would like to get weeds controlled prior to the rain forecast later this week.  The question is what impact will this weekend’s frost have on herbicide...

Moth activity continues in Iowa. During Week 5, April 27 had the most true armyworm (TAW) moths reported across the state. Black cutworm (BCW) flights were a bit spread out throughout the week. In total, 78 BCW moths were reported across the state, which is the highest weekly total of the year...