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Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey reminded farmers in a news release June 21 that grain impacted by flood waters is considered adulterated and cannot be used for feed or food. He references this article by Charlie Hurburgh and Dan Loy.
By Roger Elmore, Department of Agronomy
Yellow leaves wave above V5 to V8 corn canopies in northern and central Iowa this week. These sun-starved leaves freshly emerged from twisted whorls will turn green soon after they begin intercepting sunlight.
Potential causes are numerous: rapid growth coupled with a wide range of temperatures, hail, strong winds or an application of a herbicide, insecticide or fungicide, etc.
By Steve Barnhart, Department of Agronomy
Oats have been an important crop in Iowa. In addition to being a favored spring-planted companion or cover crop for forage seedings, they have historically been harvested as a cash grain crop. In recent years, as market demands and cropping systems have changed, oats are more often being harvested as hay or silage for livestock.
The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a serious yield-limiting pest in the Midwest, and adult SCN females can be seen with the unaided eye as small, white objects on soybean roots. Recently, adult SCN females were observed on soybeans that were planted in early to mid May in north central Iowa, indicating that fields can be checked now for the presence of SCN.
A recent scouting adventure in northeast Iowa resulted in finding a few different caterpillars infesting corn. The most abundant plant damage was from black cutworm.
Conservation planning and implementation of practices need to be considered carefully as solutions to reducing potential row cropping system effects on soil and water quality.
By Matt O'Neal and Kelly Semen, Department of Entomology
Farmers, researchers and native plant aficionados are invited to a one-day workshop exploring how to enhance the ecosystem services provided by beneficial insects. Iowa State University's Departments of Entomology and Natural Resource Ecology & Management, with support from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, will host the workshop on Aug. 4.
When conventional application equipment can be moved through the field injection of anhydrous ammonia or urea-ammonium nitrate (UAN) solutions top the list of best options.
There are several possible reasons for corn plants showing various shades of yellowing and interveinal leaf stripping.
Tools are available that can aid decisions about applying supplemental nitrogen when there have been losses of applied fertilizer or manure nitrogen.
