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.
It’s time to turn thoughts towards nematodes that feed on corn! It is very common for Iowa corn fields to have several different species of plant-parasitic nematodes present at low numbers. It’s only when numbers are present at damaging levels that symptoms of injury will appear. This article discusses when and how to sample for plant-parasitic nematodes that can damage corn.
Wet springtime conditions typically raise questions about the status of applied nitrogen (N). Or the question, do I need to apply additional N to my cornfields? At this time we do not know what the weather/precipitation will be for the entire springtime, but the extended period of wet conditions this spring is of concern.
Whether it's too much rain or perfectly timed rain, many fields are flooded or too wet to continue planting in many parts of Iowa. Delayed and preventative planting crop insurance dates are fast approaching with an unfavorable weather forecast. Decisions surrounding your delayed and prevented planting provision need to involve a conversation with your crop insurance provider. There is a nice article available on the Ag Decision Maker website that talks about the insurance provision implications.
Earlier this spring, we discussed using the PEAQ method (Predictive Equations for Alfalfa Quality) to help determine when to harvest first crop alfalfa. Looking at the PEAQ measurements made around the state, we are getting close to taking the first crop alfalfa.
Whether it's too much rain or perfectly timed rain, many fields are flooded or too wet to continue planting in many parts of Iowa. Delayed and preventative planting crop insurance dates are fast approaching with an unfavorable weather forecast. Decisions surrounding your delayed and prevented planting provision need to involve a conversation with your crop insurance provider. There is a nice article available on the Ag Decision Maker website that talks about the insurance provision implications.
This growing season, delayed planting, combined with continued cool and wet conditions have taken their toll on crops that were planted in the brief periods of optimum weather. Given that there is already delayed emergence, and the wet and cool weather patterns are expected to continue, we could very well see continued delayed growth and development of crops. This means that we can also expect reaching grain fill later in the growing season, which creates a window of opportunity for plant diseases to impact total yield.
The delays in planting get the headlines (for good reason), but another issue with prolonged wet periods is the inability to manage weeds and cover crops in a timely fashion. The following is a brief review of some of the problems that may be encountered.
Nitrogen (N) fertilization for this year’s Iowa corn crop has been complicated by frequent and sometimes excessive rainfall from late last fall through this spring. Many farmers who normally apply N in the fall couldn’t, and spring preplant N application and corn planting has been challenging in many areas with the wet and extended cold soil conditions. Therefore, many farmers are uncertain about the N availability for corn, early post-emergence assessment of soil N supply, and the potential for supplemental sidedress N application.
As of May 20, an estimated 27 percent of Iowa’s soybean crop is planted according to the USDA-NASS Iowa Crop Progress Report. Early-planted soybeans have been exposed to stressful conditions following multiple rainfall events, cold temperatures, and wide temperature swings in the last several weeks.
Handling and disposing of empty pesticide containers is a necessary part of pesticide applications and recycling containers is an environmentally friendly and responsible way of disposing of them. In 2018 763,078 pounds of pesticide containers 55 gallons and smaller were collected and recycled for the state of Iowa. Iowa ranked number one in the Midwest for containers recycled in 2018.
Recycling options vary depending on the container size:
