Optimum nitrogen fertilizer rates for corn can vary by more than 100% from field-to-field and year-to-year. This variability is a product of near limitless interactions among crop genetics, management, and environment factors (weather & soil type). Among them, the amount of soil inorganic nitrogen in the soil is one of the most important (Baum et al., 2024).

In 2024, the effect of commercial fungicides on foliar diseases of corn were evaluated at six Iowa State University Research and Demonstrations Farms: the Northwest Research and Demonstration Farm (NWRF, Sutherland), Northern Research and Demonstration Farm (NRF, Kanawha), Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm (NERF, Nashua), Central Iowa Research and Demonstration Farms, (AEA, Boone), Armstrong Memorial Research and Demonstration Farm (AMRF, Lewis)

A common theme for most of us during the winter months is to make decisions for which pieces of equipment to upgrade and which to do maintenance on before heading into the next growing season. 

When it comes to your planter, whether you are considering purchasing a new planter or making upgrades to your current planter, take some time to consider what technology you might want to invest in to improve your planter efficiencies this next growing season.

The crops are coming out and it’s ALMOST time for farmers to start making fall nitrogen applications. Remember that soil temperatures should be below 50°F at a depth of 4 inches and continuing to drop before making fall nitrogen applications —ideally, the cooler, the better. It's important for farmers to check the soil temperatures in their specific fields, as many factors can influence them.

As we move through what has been a very rapid harvest season, there are a few things to keep in mind for preparing this crop for what likely will be a long storage period.