Blog

Mark Licht
April 11, 2022 12:30 PM

Dennis Todey
April 11, 2022 12:30 PM

Justin Glisan
April 11, 2022 12:30 PM

Soil temperature is one of the most important factors to guide planting decisions. The rule of thumb is to wait until the upper 4 inches reach at least 50 degrees, with a warming temperature trend in the forecast. One way to track soil temperatures across Iowa is by using the...

Crop Production

Meaghan Anderson
April 8, 2022 10:35 PM

With a warm-up in the forecast, spring fieldwork like cover crop termination will begin when fields are fit. While some farmers may opt to use mechanical methods of cover crop termination like tillage or roller-crimping, chemical termination is the most common and often most effective way to...

Crop Production, Weeds

Ashley Dean
April 7, 2022 3:08 PM

The 2022 moth trapping season is underway, and most of our volunteers placed traps the week of March 27. Black cutworm (BCW) monitoring is a long-standing project in Iowa, and true armyworm (TAW) was added in 2017 (Photo 1). Both of these pests are migratory, making it difficult to predict where...

Crop Production, Insects and Mites

Angie Rieck-Hinz
April 5, 2022 2:17 PM

Rebecca Vittetoe
April 5, 2022 2:17 PM

Elizabeth Danielson
April 5, 2022 2:17 PM

This is the final article in a 3-part series for private pesticide applicators.  Part 1 focused on remaining continuing instruction courses to maintain...

Pesticide Education

Meaghan Anderson
April 4, 2022 2:27 PM

Determining the appropriate glyphosate rate is probably more important this spring than in previous years. Between high herbicide prices, reduced supply, and possibly using a different glyphosate product, it is worth checking to make sure you’re applying the optimum rate for efficient control....

Pesticide Education, Weeds

Clarabell Probasco
March 31, 2022 2:11 PM

Rebecca Vittetoe
March 31, 2022 2:11 PM

2022 offerings of Agronomy in the Field

Agronomy in the Field is a workshop series for women that provides learning opportunities over forage and crop production. Focus is placed on developing agronomic and decision-making skills that can be utilized on one’s own personal or family...

Crop Production

Ryan W Bergman
March 28, 2022 11:06 AM

Levi Powell
March 28, 2022 11:06 AM

Ben Covington
March 28, 2022 11:06 AM

Spring planting
Performing pre-season maintenance on your spring...

Equipment and Machinery

Mark Licht
March 25, 2022 12:33 PM

Why do we need your input?

An unprecedented amount of data is being collected on soybean fields thanks to advances in sensing technologies and cost-efficient computing, yet these data

are rarely used to their full potential. Extension is uniquely positioned to...

Crop Production

Angie Rieck-Hinz
March 25, 2022 8:33 AM

Rebecca Vittetoe
March 25, 2022 8:33 AM

This is part 2 of a three-part series of reminders for private pesticide applicators. Part 1 discussed remaining continuing education course opportunities...

Pesticide Education

Prashant Jha
March 23, 2022 3:04 PM

Ramawatar Yadav
March 23, 2022 3:04 PM

On March 15, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the label amendments that further restrict the use of over-the-top dicamba in Iowa and Minnesota. These changes came after the reports of high numbers of off-target dicamba injury incidents in Iowa and Minnesota in 2021. During...

Weeds

Angie Rieck-Hinz
March 22, 2022 4:35 PM

Rebecca Vittetoe
March 22, 2022 4:35 PM

Iowa private pesticide applicators are required to be certified to apply pesticides if they are using restricted-use pesticides.  Initially, to get certified, applicators need to take and pass an exam. Then, to maintain their certification, applicators can either attend a 2-hour continuing...

Pesticide Education

Adam Sisson
March 18, 2022 12:56 PM

As the snow melts and planters are made ready for spring, it is also time to think about crop scouting. The Crop Protection Network has many resources for new crop scouts or summer interns. These resources can also provide a...

Insects and Mites, Plant Diseases, Weeds

Denise Schwab
March 18, 2022 11:49 AM

Rebecca Vittetoe
March 18, 2022 11:49 AM

Small grains, like oats, seeded in the spring can be another forage source for livestock producers. While using small grains, like oats, as a forage source is not something new, there is very limited data available on...

Crop Production

Prashant Jha
March 7, 2022 6:02 PM

Ramawatar Yadav
March 7, 2022 6:02 PM

Shortage of key herbicides, glyphosate and glufosinate, in 2022 has emphasized the need to implement integrated weed management (IWM) strategies in corn and soybean. It is time to consider adding more tools in the weed control toolbox. In the previous blog post, we discussed alternative...

Weeds, Herbicide Resistance

Prashant Jha
March 6, 2022 4:48 PM

Ramawatar Yadav
March 6, 2022 4:48 PM

As emphasized during the Crop Advantage Series presentations and other ISU extension meetings across Iowa in January/February, two key herbicides, glyphosate and glufosinate, are in short supply to many of the corn and soybean producers. Therefore, the 2022 growing season is going to be...

Crop Production, Weeds

Aaron Saeugling
March 3, 2022 8:54 AM

Rebecca Vittetoe
March 3, 2022 8:54 AM

Frost seeding is the easiest and least expensive method for adding new legumes to a pasture. And now is the perfect time to be doing frost seeding.

The goal of frost seeding is to seed while the soil is frozen (usually first then in the morning) and get the seed in contact with bare soil...

Crop Production

Kristina TeBockhorst
February 21, 2022 7:30 AM

Many across the US have set aside February 20-26 as Grain Bin Safety Week in order to grow awareness of the hazards associated with grain storage. Many of the ways to increase safety when...

Grain Handling and Storage

Angie Rieck-Hinz
February 16, 2022 10:53 AM

Rebecca Vittetoe
February 16, 2022 10:53 AM

One of the label requirements for the dicamba products labeled for over-the-top use in soybean (Xtendimax, Tavium, Engenia) is that applicators must complete a special dicamba training annually. If you need to complete this training, go to the ...

Pesticide Education

Yuba Kandel
February 14, 2022 3:35 PM

Daren S Mueller
February 14, 2022 3:35 PM

Stith Wiggs
February 14, 2022 3:35 PM

Foliar fungicides were evaluated across seven Iowa State University research and demonstration farms to determine their performance for disease and yield response on soybean in 2021.

Plant Diseases

Ashley Dean
February 11, 2022 9:28 AM

Erin Hodgson
February 11, 2022 9:28 AM

Iowa State University’s IPM Team has monitored field crop pests for a long time. The pests have changed over the years, but the goal is the same: to help inform farmers about pest activity in Iowa. Our moth trapping efforts target migratory moths. Black cutworm monitoring is a long-standing...

Crop Production, Insects and Mites

Zachary Clemens
February 8, 2022 12:16 PM

Mark Licht
February 8, 2022 12:16 PM

Extension specialists at Iowa State and across the U.S. present this new one-hour...

Crop Production

Justin Glisan
February 4, 2022 1:50 PM

Dennis Todey
February 4, 2022 1:50 PM

As we move into the final month of meteorological winter, outlooks for February continue to show a classic La Niña (LN) signature across the United States. On the temperature side, above-average probabilities for warmer temperatures are found across the East Coast and throughout much of the Sun...

Crop Production

Ashley Dean
January 27, 2022 9:47 AM

Erin Hodgson
January 27, 2022 9:47 AM

In 2021, we initiated the first year of the regional corn rootworm monitoring network with the Corn Rootworm IPM working group. This working group was formed to address regional concerns as corn rootworm populations continue to overcome Bt corn hybrids and become more challenging to manage. The...

Crop Production, Insects and Mites

Erin Hodgson
January 26, 2022 6:54 PM

Since its discovery as a new species in 2019, soybean gall midge continues to be found in new counties across five states in the Midwest. For some farmers, the presence of soybean gall midge had a significant impact on soybean yield. The persistence of this new pest in existing areas and its...

Crop Production, Insects and Mites

Mark Licht
January 24, 2022 11:13 AM

Zachary Clemens
January 24, 2022 11:13 AM

Row spacing for both corn and soybean is an important decision to make for any crop producer and can lead to high yielding crops. Corn row spacing is important to maximize yield as well as to keep balanced with economic output.

Corn row widths continue to decrease as time moves forward....

Crop Production

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