Links to these articles are strongly encouraged. Articles may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Integrated Crop Management News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If articles are used in any other manner, permission from the author is required.
Coarse grains such as corn and soybeans usually thresh relatively easily, but wet field conditions may slow field drying. Rotor speed should not be increased and concave clearance should not be decreased more than necessary for threshing, but spongy corncobs or damp soybean pods may be more difficult to thresh. Greater rotor speed or reduced concave clearance may be necessary in these conditions.
Corn coming in to the Iowa State University Grain Quality Lab from field trials in central, northeast, and southeast Iowa has been affected by a variety of ear rot fungi, and many individual ears display symptoms of multiple fungi.
Grain submerged by uncontrolled flood waters is considered Adulterated under the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act. This policy dates to 2008 when grain storages in Cedar Rapids were inundated, and has been applied to several situations since then. Adulterated material cannot be put in commercial facilities of any type, where there would be a chance of entering human or animal food. There have been flooded (over the grain height) fields in northeast Iowa since mid-September. Late September rains have increased the scope of this problem to north central and east central Iowa, as well.
The 2016 growing season was wet with two distinct temperature patterns—hot during early pollination and cooler in August. Most of Iowa had 125% up to 200% of normal rainfall up to Labor Day, and even more after Labor Day. The outlook going forward into October is continued above average temperatures and above normal rainfall.
Objectives when setting and adjusting the combine are to harvest all crop available in the field while maintaining grain in quality condition for storage. Past field measurements show that field losses due to the combine should be able to be held to one bushel per acre or less if the crop is standing reasonably well. Each two kernels of corn per square foot or four soybeans per square foot, or 3/4 lb corn ear per 1/100 acre equals one bushel per acre loss.
The 2016 Iowa Farm Safety and Health Week is held in conjunction with National Farm Safety and Health Week Sept. 18-24. This year’s theme is “Farm Safety…A Legacy to be Proud Of.”
This is the 73rd observance of the National Farm Safety and Health Week that was originally declared by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt signed the first proclamation for farm safety in 1944 because of the high injury rate in agriculture that was impacting the nation’s production efforts during World War II.
Some areas have received several inches of rainfall since Sept. 1, during a time when corn and soybean water use declines significantly. This lack of water use by the plant creates saturated soil conditions susceptible to compaction this fall. High soil moisture increases soil compaction caused by field traffic and machinery. Over the past decade the size of Iowa farms has increased, leading to larger and heavier equipment.
However, equipment size is only one factor among many causes of the soil compaction problem.
Are you interested in learning more about crop production and protection? Have you heard of the Plant Management Network?
The Plant Management Network (PMN) is a nonprofit publishing effort of the American Society of Plant Pathologists, the Crop Science Society of America, and the American Society of Agronomists. The mission of PMN is to enhance the health, management, and production of crops through quality, science-based crop management information for practitioners in agriculture and horticulture.
Most people are aware of Palmer amaranth seed contamination in native seed mixes. These findings have led to questions about whether cover crop seed might also be a source of Palmer amaranth. We are not aware of any situations of cover crop seed used in Iowa being a source of Palmer amaranth, and have not heard of this situation in other Midwest states.
Discoveries of Palmer amaranth in conservation plantings have created the need to develop management plans to reduce the likelihood of movement of the weed into crop fields (Figure 1). Reducing or preventing Palmer amaranth seed production should be a high priority. The maturity of Palmer amaranth varies considerably in the fields we have observed. While it is likely that some viable seed is already present, the amount of seed produced can still be dramatically reduced with appropriate control measures.
