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Rebecca Vittetoe
July 11, 2023 4:19 PM
Corn rootworm, soybean gall midge, tar spot, drought stress, and weed control issues are some of the common issues or questions Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Field Agronomists have seen or heard about the past couple of weeks. Read on for more specifics about what’s happening...
Sotirios Archontoulis
July 7, 2023 9:43 AM
Mark Licht
July 7, 2023 9:43 AM
The smoke from the 2023 Canada wildfires was noticeable in Iowa, especially on June 28 and 29, and concerns about impacts on crop productivity were voiced. The smoke from the California wildfires (August 2021) was evident in Iowa too, however, this did not have a negative effect on crop...
Erin Hodgson
July 6, 2023 2:34 PM
Although some parts of Iowa have been catching up with moisture deficits, many areas continue to be in severe drought. Drought stress combined with high temperatures is good news for field crop pests like grasshoppers and spider mites. We’ve been getting reports of high grasshopper numbers...
Rebecca Vittetoe
June 27, 2023 12:36 PM
While some much needed and welcomed rain fell across most of the state this past week, some areas received minimal to no rain. The dry conditions, herbicide injury, potato leafhoppers, nutrient deficiencies (mainly potassium), weed control failures, and tar spot are some of the highlights on the...
Alison Robertson
June 23, 2023 1:44 PM
Well, I’ll be darned! Yesterday I tweeted the only disease being seen in Iowa corn was common smut on leaves. Thanks to an overzealous crop scout from a seed company, we can confirm that tar spot was observed in central Iowa (Poweshiek, Tama, Marshall, Jasper, Story and Polk counties) yesterday...
Rebecca Vittetoe
June 20, 2023 3:16 PM
Dry conditions causing crop stress, herbicide carryover and drift, nutrient deficiencies induced by the dry conditions, armyworms in forages, and a frost event in NE Iowa were some of the common or big issues or questions ISU Extension and Outreach Field Agronomists heard about or received this...
Joshua Michel
June 15, 2023 11:51 AM
Ashley Dean
June 15, 2023 11:51 AM
Denise Schwab
June 15, 2023 11:51 AM
On June 14, Iowa State University extension entomologists put out a Pest Alert to scout for true armyworm because of statewide reports of this pest feeding on crops. In addition, there have been multiple...
Chelsea J Harbach
June 15, 2023 9:50 AM
We’re well into the growing season in Iowa. We are in full swing in the Plant & Insect Diagnostic Clinic (PIDC) as growers, certified crop consultants, and field agronomists start to notice problems in their fields. While there is information on our PIDC webpage (...
Rebecca Vittetoe
June 13, 2023 12:17 PM
The dry conditions across the state can be attributed to a lot of the issues or questions ISU Extension and Outreach Field Agronomists heard about or received this past week including issues like herbicide carryover, nutrient deficiencies, and showcasing compaction issues in fields not just from...
Aaron Saeugling
June 12, 2023 9:09 AM
The best way to break the drought is to write an article from extension about dry weather. So, here’s a stab at trying to make it rain.
Today’s hybrids have amazed farmers on their yields in dry environments. I often get questions about early season drought stress and corn rolling in the...
Ashley Dean
June 9, 2023 2:26 PM
Erin Hodgson
June 9, 2023 2:26 PM
We have had a busy few weeks fielding questions from farmers and agronomists about various insects that are feeding in crop fields. Temperatures have been warm and that has prompted many insects to resume activity – they are hungry! The biggest concern lately has been true armyworms, but other...
Rebecca Vittetoe
June 6, 2023 10:38 PM
Spotty rainfall and dry conditions, replanting/filling in soybean stands, weed management/herbicide application considerations, and fertilizer burn on corn roots were some of the more common concerns or questions ISU Extension Field...
Rebecca Vittetoe
June 6, 2023 5:34 PM
Plan to attend the upcoming field days that will be hosted at the outlying Iowa State University Research and Demonstration Farms this summer. These field days will feature the latest information on crop production and crop management practices. Below is a list of the upcoming field days that...
Ashley Dean
June 6, 2023 11:06 AM
The trapping season for true armyworm (TAW) and black cutworm (BCW) has come to an end. We appreciate our cooperators for tirelessly checking traps the last two months and reporting their captures so we can provide the most accurate scouting information for these pests. To recap, we had 31...
The final June climatological outlooks from the NOAA Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issued on May 31st continue to show similar patterns as the initial outlooks from mid-May. On the temperature side, there are higher probabilities of warmer-than-average conditions across most of Iowa. A “...
Clarabell Probasco
June 1, 2023 3:02 PM
Aaron Saeugling
June 1, 2023 3:02 PM
With the steady growth and production of pasture forages across the state comes the steady appearance and growth of the nuisance pasture weed, multiflora rose (MFR). Due to its unpalatability, most grazing species will not consume MFR, allowing it to continue growing throughout the season and...
Aaron Saeugling
May 31, 2023 9:46 PM
The choice to foliar feed crops is a management decision each farmer needs to make based on personal preferences. Before considering these products, we need to first consider the return on the investment and chance for success.
When considering foliar fertilizing corn and soybean we need...
Rebecca Vittetoe
May 31, 2023 4:16 PM
With turning the calendar to June, now is the time to be seeding warm-season annual forages like sorghum, sorghum-sudangrass, sudangrass, millets, and teff. These forages can help to fill in the gap with the summer slump or provide some extra forage when your perennial forage supply may be short...
Alison Robertson
May 30, 2023 8:00 AM
It’s a great time of year! The weather is finally warming up enough to wear shorts and green stripes are finally occurring across the landscape as corn (and beans) emerge. USDA reports 85%...
Ashley Dean
May 25, 2023 10:23 AM
Moth flights into Iowa slowed down a bit during Week 7 (May 14 to May 20). Cooperators for the Iowa Moth Trapping Network reported 147 black cutworm (BCW) and 130 true armyworm (TAW) moths, with three new significant flights of black cutworm. More details on significant flights and cutting dates...
Ashley Dean
May 25, 2023 7:54 AM
Erin Hodgson
May 25, 2023 7:54 AM
Alfalfa growth is off to the races in many parts of Iowa, and we have heard reports from around the state that insects are very active in alfalfa as well. Field agronomists, especially in southern Iowa, have...
Rebecca Vittetoe
May 23, 2023 12:57 PM
Planting is starting to wind down across the state as 95% of the expected corn crop and 84% of the expected soybean crop has been planted according to the ...
Ashley Dean
May 19, 2023 11:03 AM
Erin Hodgson
May 19, 2023 11:03 AM
Western and northern corn rootworms are serious corn pests in Iowa and the Corn Belt. These pests readily adapt to management tactics, especially in continuous corn production. The larvae consume corn roots, thereby reducing nutrient and water uptake, and cause stalk lodging. The adults may also...
Ashley Dean
May 18, 2023 1:13 PM
Week 6 (May 7 to May 13) of the Iowa Moth Trapping Network was vastly different than the week before. Our cooperators reported 239 black cutworm (BCW) and 295 true armyworm (TAW) moths, with several significant flights occurring around the state.
Recall that we predicted...
Ashley Dean
May 9, 2023 3:13 PM
Very few moths were reported by our cooperators last week. During week 5 of the Iowa Moth Trapping Network (April 30 to May 6), our cooperators reported 41 black cutworm (BCW) and 32 true armyworm (TAW) moths around the state, and there were no new significant flights of BCW to report. However,...