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The Battle for Dicamba
Much like many of you, I watched the discussion/debate on the Ninth Circuit Court's decision to vacate EPA's registration of three dicamba products. It appears the dust has finally settled, at least for the time being. For a good explanation of what all this means, see the ISU Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation (CALT) Ag Docket article EPA Allows Some Use of Dicamba-Based Herbicides Through July 31. We encourage applicators to confirm with their insurer that liability coverage will still be provided should the product move off-target. After July 31,2020 all use is prohibited. All sales and distribution of products is prohibited as of June 3 (exceptions detailed in the EPA cancellation order). In the meantime, be sure to follow all label requirements and realize that the 45 days after planting deadline has come and gone for many soybean fields in Iowa.
Nitrogen or Sulfur Deficiency
There have been many phone calls, texts and email inquiring about yellow corn this spring. There are also many reason corn may appear yellow. Because of our cool spring, soil mineralization of nitrogen was generally slower than usual, reducing N soil supply to plants. The heat and rain of the past week should alleviate that issue. John Sawyer provides a good review of reasons for yellow corn and how to distinguish between two of those potential causes, nitrogen and sulfur deficiency in Is it Nitrogen or Sulfur Deficiency Symptoms. And for the record, we have seen a fair bit of anthracnose corn leaf blight in NC Iowa.
Hail Damage
I spent time on Monday, June 8 looking at some hail-damaged corn and soybeans in Humboldt County from a hail event on June 4. These are always tough calls for replant decisions. Some farmers had already ripped up existing stands and were replanting and some decided not to replant. ISU has two publications available to help estimate potential yield loss, replant considerations and decisions on fungicide use. Both publications are available as free downloads at the links below. In this particular case, the growing point for the corn was right at the ground level and did not appear damaged on the corn I looked at. I know this sounds weird, but my recommendation was to set the mower high and mow off the tops of the corn where the tattered leaves were wrapping around the plant. This will help the new leaves push through. Even after 4 days, the corn was showing signs of new leaves emerging. This always makes me highly nervous to recommend. Time will tell what the farmers decided to do. The beans were also showing signs of new growth, although stem bruising may become a factor later causing plant lodging.
Hail on Corn in Iowa
Hail on Soybean in Iowa
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Events
June 10, How to Optimize Nutrient-Reducing Prairie Strips, Webinar
Noon webinar on how to optimize the potential value of this practice, applied research focused on improving the chances of successful implementation, maximizing the ability to provide multiple ecological benefits, and improving cost-effectiveness is needed. To participate in the live webinar, shortly before noon on June 10:
The webinar will also be recorded and archived on the ILF website, so that it can be watched at any time. Archived webinars are available at https://www.iowalearningfarms.org/page/webinars
CCA credits have been applied for.
June 24, 25, 26, Virtual Spring Field Day Webinar Series
In place of the traditional face-to-face ISU Research Farm Field Day in June, ISU Extension is offering three 30-minute webinars. Each webinar will start at 8:00 AM with a 20-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes for questions. Topics to be featured each day of the webinar series are:
- June 24: Utilizing Tile Drainage to Better Manage Nitrogen and Improve Corn Yields, Mike Castellano, Professor of agronomy (CCA credit of 0.5 SW)
- June 25: Late Season Field Scouting with UAVs, Matt Darr, Professor in agricultural and biosystems engineering (CCA credit of 0.5 CM)
- June 26: Multi-tactic Approaches to Manage Herbicide Resistance, Prashant Jha, Associate professor in weed management (CCA credit of 0.5 PM).
This webinar series is free and open to anyone. It will be offered through ZOOM. There is no charge to attend, however registration is required and can be completed by going to www.aep.iastate.edu/serf After registering, participants will receive an email with instructions and a link for joining the webinar series. Once registered, you will be able to watch any or all the webinars. Participants may join through their web browser, mobile phone or tablet. Participants will need to download a free app prior to joining. Participants should join the webinar 15 minutes in advance to ensure connections and software is working correctly. If you cannot attend the live webinar, a recording of each session will be posted for viewing as soon as they are available on the ISU Extension Crops Team YouTube Channel. For more information, questions or if you need assistance with registration please contact ISU Extension agronomists Rebecca Vittetoe at 319-653-4811, or rka8@iastate.edu ; Virgil Schmitt at 563-263-5701, or vschmitt@iastate.edu ; or Josh Michel at 319-523-2371, or jmichel@iastate.edu
July 1, Soil & Water CCA Webinar for 3 SW Credits
8:00 to 11:00 AM, Webinar, $25 registration required by midnight June 29.
Topics:
- Progress and tools for scaling up adoption of Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy
- Tile Drainage: Reducing nitrogen fertilizer, increasing yield and implementing conservation practices
To register, go to www.aep.iastate.edu/serf-cca/ The link, password and instructions for joining the webinar will be emailed to participants after the registration is completed with payment and prior to the start of the session on July 1. Participants may join through their web browser, mobile phone or tablet. Participants will need to download a free app prior to joining. Participants should join the webinar at least 15 minutes in advance to ensure connections and software is working correctly. For more information, questions or if you need assistance with registration please contact ISU Extension agronomists Rebecca Vittetoe at 319-653-4811, or rka8@iastate.edu ; Virgil Schmitt at 563-263-5701, or vschmitt@iastate.edu ; or Josh Michel at 319-523-2371, or jmichel@iastate.edu
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