Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s Crops Team reached thousands of farmers, agribusiness professionals and crop advisers during the 2025–2026 winter season through a wide range of educational programs focused on timely crop production issues and decision‑making.
Signature programs during the season included the Integrated Crop Management (ICM) Conference, the Crop Advantage Series, Planter University and CropsTV, all designed to deliver research‑based information to support Iowa agriculture.
The annual Integrated Crop Management Conference attracted 478 attendees. A post‑conference evaluation, completed by 144 participants, showed strong knowledge gains related to southern rust, a disease of increasing concern following its $999.8 million impact on Iowa corn producers during the 2025 growing season. Prior to the conference session on disease identification, 65% of respondents reported a high level of knowledge in identifying southern rust relative to common rust. After the session, that number rose to 90%. Additionally, only 48% reported they knew where to find additional tools to help make fungicide decisions prior to the session and after the session 87% said they knew where to find the ROI calculator and disease forecasting tools. Both parameters measured reflected significant knowledge gained in management of southern rust, providing potential to improve decision-making in the 2026 crop year.
The Crop Advantage Series, held at 12 locations across Iowa in January 2026, drew more than 950 attendees. Post‑meeting surveys revealed that 91% of participants felt the program met or exceeded their expectations, while over 84% reported attending specifically for the research and technical updates
provided. While many respondents were returning participants, nearly 10% were first-time attendees—reflecting both audience retention and ongoing growth.
Planter University was offered at five locations and attracted 256 participants from 62 Iowa counties and six additional states. Participants who completed program evaluations reported anticipated economic benefits from the information provided. Among respondents, 57% estimated future profit increases of $10–$20 per acre, while 15% projected gains exceeding $20 per acre, highlighting the program’s potential return on investment for producers.
The 2025–2026 season also marked the sixth year of CropsTV, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s on‑demand video series. Season 6 featured 37 episodes, each 30 to 60 minutes in length, covering topics such as challenges with corn pollination, weather decision tools, emerging diseases, biological products and managing high fertilizer costs. Subscribers could obtain 29.5 Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) credits. There were 263 subscribers to CropsTV Season 6, with 5,768 total views and a total viewing time of 118 days. Feedback from program evaluations emphasized the convenience and flexibility CropsTV provides to agricultural professionals.
Planning is already underway for the 2026–2027 season of crop production programming, with continued emphasis on delivering timely, science‑based information to support profitable and sustainable crop systems across Iowa and beyond.
For more information about Iowa State University Extension and Outreach crop programs, visit the Integrated Crop Management website.
Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article 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 this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on April 16, 2026. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.
- Field Agronomist in NC Iowa
- Field Agronomist in EC/SE Iowa