Blog
The 2023 moth trapping season is underway, and our volunteers began placing traps the week of March 26. Black cutworm (BCW) monitoring is a long-standing project in Iowa, and true armyworm (TAW) was added in 2017. Both of these pests are migratory, making it difficult to predict where...
And it seems like spring is finally here, and with that field activities are starting to pick-up across the state. ISU Extension and Outreach Field Agronomists share a quick update on what conditions look like and what activities are...
Crop scouting performed by farmers and Ag professionals is one of the most important steps towards predicting possible issues and diagnosing existing problems with health of a field- informing critical management decisions.
Made possible by partnering with Integrated Pest Management (...
With the onset of planting season, it is necessary to watch for winter annuals and early emerging summer annuals in corn and soybean fields. Consider applying burndown herbicides to control those weeds when temperatures are above 55 F to improve the effectiveness of herbicide application.
...Calves, robins, geese, vultures… all signs confirming spring’s arrival in Iowa. The green up can feel like it arrived in hours, and it really is changing by the hour. Rye is among the first species to break winter dormancy and grows when temperatures reach 38 degrees F. While how fast the growth...
When is the best time to plant? Somewhere between April 10 and May 31 for corn and for soybean April 10 (southern Iowa) and April 15 (northern 2/3 of Iowa) to June 15. Those are according to crop insurance dates. By now you know I don’t like talking about planting dates. The calendar date doesn’...
With April now here, the talk of planting will be a daily talking point for farmers across Iowa. With new genetics, more seed treatments, better tile drainage, farmers are pushing the planting date earlier for corn and soybean in Iowa. For 2023 the early crop insurance date is April 10th...
This post is not to explain what corn edge effect is or what is causing the phenomenon but rather throw out a couple thoughts on possible solutions. Briefly, corn edge effect is when yields around the outside...
Join us on May 17th for a Crop Scout School at the Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm near Crawfordsville. ...
The warmer weather forecast has me thinking about new beginnings and the resurrection of our dormant overwintering cover crops. While some will let the covers grow for some time yet, those covers in fields going to corn this spring will likely be terminated in the next few weeks. Regardless of...
A Masters of Agronomy student, Kelsey Richie, is conducting a survey in hopes of getting a better understanding of how tar spot may affect farmers' decisions around fungicides.
As pastures begin to green up, unwanted weeds may start to pop up too. Early spring is an excellent time to clean up biennials, winter annuals, and some perennials present in pastures. This article will focus on management considerations for weeds we might find in the early spring.
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As we look ahead and gear up for the upcoming growing season, ISU Extension and Outreach Field Agronomists share a quick update on what conditions look like across the state in their respective regions.
North Central Iowa
The dry conditions in parts of the state in 2022 put extra stress on pastures. Consequently, some pastures may have been grazed shorter than cattlemen would have liked. Additionally, nitrogen prices continue to rise as well as all costs associated with pasture management. As we head into the...
Spring is always a good time to clean house and freshen up resources. This blog is the second in a series, providing updates to commonly used web-based resources and electronic communications. The first blog,...
Each year new insect management resources are made available or are updated to provide the latest information. This blog provides a brief update to some popular resources.
The 2023 version of the Handy Bt Trait Table is now available through this Texas A&M Agrilife Extension...
You are invited to join Science for Success, a national team of soybean extension specialists, for our webinar series on early season soybean management.
The content will be focused on the new research and materials that we have recently released specifically for US soybean producers....
On February 16, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the label amendments that further restrict the use of over-the-top (OTT) dicamba in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. For the 2023 season, the revised federal labels for XtendiMax, Engenia and Tavium contains a new cut-off date...
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...
Farmers and those who provide consultation to farmers, as well as the general public, are invited to the...
What: A survey about farmers’ crop insurance decisions, led by Iowa State University researchers in collaboration with researchers at Kansas State University, Michigan State University, and University of Illinois—Urbana-...
Over the past few decades, producers have begun to continually face herbicide resistant weed pressure throughout their cropping systems. Continuous use of the same herbicide program can quickly develop resistant weed biotypes, especially if there are no other weed management tactics being used...
Last year was the second season of an organized, regional corn rootworm monitoring effort with the Corn Rootworm IPM working group. This working group was formed to address regional concerns as corn rootworm populations continue to...
Statewide evaluation of foliar fungicides on soybeans in 2022
The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Crops Team is excited to have launched the 3rd...