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Drought and other weather events have ultimately caused a tight forage supply going into the winter-feeding period for multiple operations. Here are some tips to make the most of the forage resource you’re feeding this winter.

1. Calculate feed needs and compare to inventory. A basic calculation assumes intake to be 2.25 – 2.5% of body weight. Knowing this, a quick calculation for feeding 100 mature cows for 5 months would be:

While the drought concerns and drought impacts on row crops and forage crops seems to be the big issue especially in western Iowa, other common issues or questions reported by ISU Extension field agronomists this past week included corn rootworm activity, earworm feeding, Japanese beetles causing defoliation in soybeans and silk clipping in corn, low levels of soybean aphids, potato leafhopper damage, gray leaf spot pressure increasing (especially eastern Iowa), low levels of frogeye leaf spot, fungicide application decisions, and continued reports of dicamba injury.

Sidedressing nitrogen, post emergence herbicide applications, and putting up hay were the main field activities that took place over this past week across the state. Some of the issues ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists saw this past week ranged from dry conditions in the western part of the state, thistle caterpillars in soybeans, alfalfa weevils and aphids in alfalfa, isolated hail damage in parts of the state, and discoloration issues in corn. Read on for more information about what’s happening in specific regions across the state.

Northwest Iowa