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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.

Part one: Using Multiple Sites of Action

Part two: Using Effective Herbicide Groups

Part four: Long-Term Planning

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.

Part one: Using Multiple Sites of Action

Part three: Herbicide Rate Calculations

Part four: Long-Term Planning

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.

Part two: Using Effective Herbicide Groups

Part three: Herbicide Rate Calculations

Part four: Long-Term Planning

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 establishment. If this seeding method proves to be effective, it would be a relatively simple way for landowners to provide habitat for monarch butterflies in non-crop areas.

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 with evolved resistance to HPPD inhibitor herbicides and glyphosate-resistant biotypes.  If you have questions concerning the report, please contact Mike Owen at 515-294-5935 or mdowen@iastate.edu.&

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.

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 growing season if they intend to use the cover crop as a forage source.

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 water credits during the two days.

By: Mahdi Al-Kaisi

By: Rachel Klein

By: Greg Brenneman

In the past couple of weeks a lot of corn and soybeans went into storage with temperatures in the 60s. With grain this warm, moisture migration within the grain mass and spoilage can occur very quickly, even with fairly dry grain.

By: Clarke McGrath

Just a gentle reminder to be as safe as you can while pushing hard to get things done for harvest. Having to dust off my EMT skills today and stabilize an accident victim until the ambulance arrived was a not so subtle and disheartening reminder that incidents happen quickly. Be careful around equipment, grain, traffic, and other hazards; keep your cell phone handy and have a first aid kit on hand.

By: Mahdi M Al-Kaisi

By: Clarke McGrath

In running plots and talking with growers the last week or so, the shift to more “fall-like” temperatures has people thinking, “Maybe I can run some fall NH3 while (if) I am held up waiting on trucks, grain drying, or other typical fall delays.”

By: Daren Mueller and graduate students, Xavier Phillips and Chelsea Harbach

Some are noticing plants with green, yellow or purple stems. A few years ago we wrote a longer article on green stem, but since then we have been trying to sort through the root causes of green stem disorder. Here is what we now know:

As harvest begins and other plants in the landscape senesce, many insects and arthropods move to find overwintering habitat. Sometimes these animals seek out shelter in cracks and crevices of human structures such as houses and storage buildings. Common invaders include boxelder bug, lady beetles, millipedes, crickets, clover mite, pine seed bug and spiders. Pests enter structures accidentally and are generally harmless to people and property.

All across Iowa, the edges of woods are lined with plants bearing clusters of white flowers.  There's a good likelihood those plants are white snakeroot, a native perennial in the Asteraceae family.   The plant is best known for its role in milk sickness, an ailment responsible for the death of large numbers of settlers moving into the midwest in the 1800's.  Milk sickness was caused by cows grazing on white snakeroot.

Short Version:  493 miles in 12 hours; 2 out of 3 known Palmer amaranth sites well managed; no new infestations found.

Long Version:  I went to the three Palmer amaranth infestations in western Iowa that I am aware of.  This is the third year I’ve visited the Harrison county site, and the second for the others.

The last few weeks have been full of soybean aphid discussions. Populations have been going up, down and otherwise looked sort of bumpy this summer. Many fields exceeded the economic threshold of 250 per plant and were treated with foliar insecticides in August, particularly in northern Iowa. My lab had our big spray day last week, as aphid numbers approached the threshold. Of all the products we are using, we are seeing good efficacy, or knockdown, for soybean aphid.

Corn rootworm adult emergence is underway in Iowa. The three species of rootworm found in Iowa include the northern corn rootworm (NCR), southern corn rootworm (SCR), and western corn rootworm (WCR). Adults of all three species can be found until the first frost. Knowing how to distinguish the three species is important for making management decisions for future growing seasons.