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Rebecca Vittetoe
June 22, 2021 2:39 PM
The hot and dry conditions last week resulted in many fields showing signs of stress. Thankfully, a much-needed rain fell across a good part of the state late last week and on Sunday evening. Unfortunately, most of NW Iowa seemed to miss out on the rain. With the much-needed rain, there was also...
Rebecca Vittetoe
June 21, 2021 9:10 PM
While some areas received some much need precipitation later last week and over the weekend, there was some hail that came with it. Some fields have pretty minor hail damage and other fields had some pretty significant hail damage.
Ashley Dean
June 18, 2021 4:42 PM
Erin Hodgson
June 18, 2021 4:42 PM
Today, our lab crew went to the Johnson Farm south of Ames, Iowa to evaluate a bean leaf beetle study. To our surprise, we found many V4-V6 plants with established soybean aphid colonies (Photo 1). It is not uncommon to find sporadic soybean aphids in June, but it is surprising to find a colony...
Rebecca Vittetoe
June 15, 2021 12:11 PM
While some areas did receive some much-needed rainfall across the state, most areas received very little to no rainfall this past week. Consequently, it wasn’t hard to see lot of corn fields with leaves rolling this past week across the state. Lots of POST herbicide applications, sidedressing,...
Erin Hodgson
June 14, 2021 2:25 PM
Over the last 5 days, I’ve been asked numerous times about a small butterfly roaming the gravel roads and wooded areas around Iowa. It’s a fast, skittish insect and tracking down a good photo has been really tough. They are described by entomologists as mercurial, or subject to sudden and...
The following is a view of the moisture status for six locations in northwest Iowa where the soil was analyzed for spring subsoil moisture. This discussion may or may not reflect the current soil moisture conditions in your area. This article does attempt to account for stored soil moisture,...
Sotirios Archontoulis
June 14, 2021 12:32 PM
Mark Licht
June 14, 2021 12:32 PM
Across most of Iowa, corn is near V6 stage and much of Iowa is under some degree of drought stress. The exception being extreme southeast Iowa. Being at V6 stage means corn ear initiation is occurring and in the coming week the number of kernel rows on the ear will be determined. This is the...
Micronutrients for soybean production, soybean cyst nematode management and white mold of soybean will highlight the summer field day at the Iowa State University Northern Research and Demonstration Farm near Kanawha.
The North Central Iowa Research Association will also announce a...
Ashley Dean
June 10, 2021 1:56 PM
Erin Hodgson
June 10, 2021 1:56 PM
For the second year in a row, we’ve been hearing multiple reports of fields with high grub activity in central Iowa, particularly between Ames and Ankeny. Typically, people were called out to the field for other reasons but found grubs once they started digging. In fact, a field I visited last...
Ashley Dean
June 10, 2021 1:36 PM
Erin Hodgson
June 10, 2021 1:36 PM
Most people are already finished with their first cutting of alfalfa throughout Iowa, but each of our 10 field agronomists reports that alfalfa weevil activity continues and has been much...
Prashant Jha
June 9, 2021 9:12 PM
Most herbicide labels caution against applications made under environmental stress such as prevailing hot and dry conditions in Iowa this year. This is because of increased risk of crop injury and/or decreased weed control. Weeds growing under hot, dry conditions are often difficult to control...
Rebecca Vittetoe
June 8, 2021 10:26 PM
This past week brought a range of field activities from replanting and POST herbicide applications to putting up hay and sidedressing nitrogen. Herbicide injury and carryover, dry conditions, yellow corn, and alfalfa weevils have been some of the more common issues ISU Extension field...
With technology advancing all the time, it’s hard to resist the appeal of new equipment. However, there are many upgrades available that can be added to your existing planter to achieve speed and efficiency next planting season. When we talk about upgrades to your planter system, there are three...
Terry Basol
June 8, 2021 11:26 AM
As we continue the postemerge herbicide applications for corn and begin this process for soybeans, it’s important to be on the lookout for temperature inversions, Photo 1. This blog will discuss what temperature inversions are, why they can be dangerous for pesticide applications, and how to...
Mark Licht
June 8, 2021 8:51 AM
Rebecca Vittetoe
June 8, 2021 8:51 AM
The dry conditions are causing some to see what is known as “floppy” corn (aka rootless corn). Rootless corn is easy to diagnose – simply dig up plants that are not standing erect like they should be, then gently knock off the soil to get a look at the roots. With rootless corn you will see the...
Ashley Dean
June 3, 2021 11:16 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 32...
Rebecca Vittetoe
June 2, 2021 4:56 PM
Frost damage, uneven corn, yellow looking crops, and volunteer corn becoming more prevalent were some of the more common issues observed in fields this past week. Read on for more specifics about what ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists are hearing and seeing across the state.
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The use of aerial imagery in production agriculture has continued to grow and evolve over the last several years since its debut on the market. With significant changes in how imagery is captured and processed and the quality of images available, there are now many applications for this...
Rebecca Vittetoe
June 2, 2021 1:25 PM
Kristina TeBockhorst
June 2, 2021 1:25 PM
For those worried about the need for additional N this spring, one method in determining if additional N is needed is by doing the Late Spring Soil Nitrate Test (LSNT). This test measures the nitrate-N concentration in the top foot of soil. The measured N is a combination of nitrate residual...
Soybean research and Extension specialists from land-grant universities across the country welcome you to join the next monthly informal discussion on crop production topics that are timely and relevant. When you join the Notes from the Field webinar series, you will get highlights and current...
The first ‘official’ finding of Palmer amaranth in Iowa was August 2013 in Harrison County. Shortly thereafter the weed was identified in Muscatine, Fremont and Page County. These infestations were likely due to Palmer amaranth seed being transported on equipment/trucks involved in crop...
Frost injury occurred Saturday May 29 across much of the area. Radiational frost occurs when leaf temperatures actually reach lower temperatures than nearby recorded air temperatures.
Frost has occurred
- along field edges - especially corn...
Rebecca Vittetoe
May 31, 2021 10:43 PM
Virgil Schmitt
May 31, 2021 10:43 PM
Carbon markets and weed management strategies in soybeans will be the featured topics at an upcoming Agronomy Workshop and Crop Advisor Training being offered from 8 AM to noon on June 16 at the Southeast Iowa Research and Demonstration Farm located near Crawfordsville.
...
Ashley Dean
May 26, 2021 12:17 PM
For the first time during the 2021 moth trapping season, more total true armyworm moths were reported than black cutworm moths. During Week 8 of the Iowa Moth Trapping Network, our cooperators reported 109 total black cutworm (BCW) and 128 true armyworm (TAW) moths.
Week 8 report...
Rebecca Vittetoe
May 25, 2021 10:02 AM
While the rain may have limited fieldwork across the state this past week, it was much welcomed in many areas that have been on the drier side. Most of the corn and soybeans that have been planted are now emerged. Two of the more common issues seen in fields this past week included alfalfa...