If you have been out in the field checking stand or doing early-season scouting for weeds, diseases, and insects, you might be noticing that insect activity is picking up across the state. We are approximately 200 growing degree days ahead of schedule this spring, which means insect development is happening quickly for insects that overwintered or arrived here with strong storm systems.

With Spring here and crop stands beginning to grow, it is time to shift focus to the next operation of the 2026 growing season: spraying. These operations are "make or break" for crop health, whether you are applying weed control, warding off insects, or managing bacteria and fungus. While these operations require financial and time investments, performing proper maintenance and calibrations directly impacts success rates and your ultimate return on investment.

This summer, Iowa State University’s Research and Demonstration Farms are once again hosting a series of field days across the state. These events offer a valuable opportunity to learn about the latest crop production research, management practices, and emerging agricultural technologies directly from Iowa State specialists and researchers.

Across Iowa, planting is nearing completion or has wrapped up. There have been some emergence concerns in fields across the state due to soil crusting. The rain over the weekend and early this week will hopefully help alleviate that, but unfortunately there were areas that also experienced heavy rainfall, hail, strong winds, and tornados. ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists share more specifics about what’s happening in fields around the state. 

Between May 4 and May 10, 19 trap sites reported a total of 39 black cutworm moths captured in traps (Figure 1). There were no additional significant flights during the week (Figure 2).

Using historical temperature data from the Midwest Regional Climate Center database, Table 1 shows the current projected cutting dates in counties that have had a significant flight.