Objectives when setting and adjusting the combine are to harvest all crop available in the field while maintaining grain in quality condition for storage. Past field measurements show that field losses due to the combine should be able to be held to one bushel per acre or less if the crop is standing reasonably well. Each two kernels of corn per square foot or four soybeans per square foot, or 3/4 lb corn ear per 1/100 acre equals one bushel per acre loss. Read more about Combine Adjustment for Fall Harvest
Integrated Crop Management News
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The 2016 Iowa Farm Safety and Health Week is held in conjunction with National Farm Safety and Health Week Sept. 18-24. This year’s theme is “Farm Safety…A Legacy to be Proud Of.”
This is the 73rd observance of the National Farm Safety and Health Week that was originally declared by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt signed the first proclamation for farm safety in 1944 because of the high injury rate in agriculture that was impacting the nation’s production efforts during World War II. Read more about Farm Safety: Avoid Slips and Falls During Harvest Season
Some areas have received several inches of rainfall since Sept. 1, during a time when corn and soybean water use declines significantly. This lack of water use by the plant creates saturated soil conditions susceptible to compaction this fall. High soil moisture increases soil compaction caused by field traffic and machinery. Over the past decade the size of Iowa farms has increased, leading to larger and heavier equipment.
However, equipment size is only one factor among many causes of the soil compaction problem. Read more about How to Minimize Soil Compaction During Harvest
If you would like to learn more about current soil fertility issues and research being conducted at universities across the North Central region, then consider attending the 46th Annual North Central Extension-Industry Soil Fertility Conference to be held November 2-3, 2016, from 1:00 p.m. to noon, at the Holiday Inn Airport in Des Moines, Iowa. The conference is early this year. Read more about 46th Annual North Central Extension-Industry Soil Fertility Conference
Are you interested in learning more about crop production and protection? Have you heard of the Plant Management Network?
The Plant Management Network (PMN) is a nonprofit publishing effort of the American Society of Plant Pathologists, the Crop Science Society of America, and the American Society of Agronomists. The mission of PMN is to enhance the health, management, and production of crops through quality, science-based crop management information for practitioners in agriculture and horticulture. Read more about Plant Management Network: A Resource for Crop Production, Management and Protection
Most people are aware of Palmer amaranth seed contamination in native seed mixes. These findings have led to questions about whether cover crop seed might also be a source of Palmer amaranth. We are not aware of any situations of cover crop seed used in Iowa being a source of Palmer amaranth, and have not heard of this situation in other Midwest states. Read more about Cover Crop Seed and Palmer Amaranth
Discoveries of Palmer amaranth in conservation plantings have created the need to develop management plans to reduce the likelihood of movement of the weed into crop fields (Figure 1). Reducing or preventing Palmer amaranth seed production should be a high priority. The maturity of Palmer amaranth varies considerably in the fields we have observed. While it is likely that some viable seed is already present, the amount of seed produced can still be dramatically reduced with appropriate control measures. Read more about Managing Palmer Amaranth in Conservation Plantings
Bacterial leaf streak (BLS) in corn was recently identified in Iowa. Bacterial leaf streak is a disease caused by Xanthomonas vasicola pv. vasculorum. The disease has been found on field corn, seed corn, popcorn, and sweet corn. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has been working with the USDA, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), the Iowa Crop Improvement Association (ICIA) and surveying several counties in the state. Read more about Bacterial Leaf Streak Confirmed in Iowa
In the past, corn leaf aphid could be a problem during corn tasseling. This species aggregated around the ear and silks, and sometimes their honeydew production interfered with pollination. But natural enemies and the environment rarely let them persist past July. Therefore, economic thresholds for corn leaf aphid are targeted around VT-R1 and mostly for drought-stressed cornfields. Since 2010, aphids have been colonizing corn later in the summer and are building up to striking levels. Read more about Managing Aphids in Corn
Palmer amaranth was first detected in Iowa in 2013 in Harrison County, and until recently the invasive weed had been found in four additional counties. About a month ago, two landowners (both professional agronomists) detected Palmer amaranth in fields planted in spring 2016 with native seed mixes for conservation purposes. In the time since those July detections, Palmer amaranth has been found in an additional five counties (multiple fields in several of the counties). We think it’s safe to say the calm before the storm has ended. Read more about Palmer Amaranth in Iowa - What We Know