Insects
Farmers in Iowa and parts of Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin and South Dakota are in the “red zone” for CRW pressure this season.
The first-of-its-kind biotech trait is commercially available to farmers as Bollgard 3 ThryvOn cotton with XtendFlex Technology – just in time for the 2023 production season.
Why a New App Designed by Iowa State Could Be a Game Changer to Identify and Diagnose Unwanted Pests
A new pest ID app designed by Iowa State University is the first of its kind for not only insect detection, but also suggested management practices that can help farmers rid their fields of unwanted pests.
Stink bugs are best known for their stench when squashed. However, the insect is gaining more notoriety in the Midwest for another reason — their love of soybeans.
This was a familiar scene in fields across the Midwest this season. Not only did volunteer corn impact soybean yields, agronomists say it sheltered rootworm eggs that can overwinter and infest corn crops next spring.
Corn subjected to heavy rainfall can still deliver a significant yield response to a nitrogen application -- in some cases, up to 60 bu.
These pests have colossal appetites but don’t tend to pack an economic punch.
Extreme drought conditions have plagued the West, northern Plains and parts of the Midwest this growing season, which is the ideal environment for the jumping insect.
Arkansas farmer Matt Miles has seen how planting dates can not only help improve yield but also his battle against pests. Staying ahead of potential pest problems has proven to be the best line of defense.
Cold temperatures may or may not reduce populations.
From too much rain to not enough, to the intensity and direction of the wind, weather plays a vital role in the the amount of pests farmers see from year to year. Agronomists and entomologists debunk myths with facts.
Emerging pest pressures can create problems for farmers every year. And as certain pest pressures build, Farm Journal Associate Agronomist Missy Bauer says the issues are often geography based.
As Arkansas farmers work to battle an outbreak of fall armyworms, entomologists say the pest is proving to be devastating in later planted crops. And as farmers see increased pest pressure, the costs are adding up.
Contributing factors include continuous corn, late-maturing hybrids, delayed and/or replanted fields, weedy fields and borders, and soybeans with significant volunteer corn.
With drought causing spring wheat to shrivel, the heat next week will be lethal for that portion of the crop barely hanging on. Now, grasshoppers are preying on battered fields, possibly shrinking the crop to zero.
Scouting fields for pest problems is a vital component of crop health and yield outcome.
Last year showed how dry conditions create the perfect playground for a few yield-robbing pests. The conditions could be ripe again for drought-loving pests to emerge.
The pest injures corn most often during the VE through V5 growth stages. Timing foliar insecticide applications is critical. They are only effective when the larvae migrate and are exposed to the pesticide.
Be on the lookout for this mother of clones.
Here’s one way to know whether you work with a reputable seed company. Along with that, it’s time to put out lures and traps for various pests, including wireworms, armyworms and voles.
Experts say you don’t need to worry about the bright yellow, blue, black and red Joro spider — it’s one of the few creatures that preys on a bug that attacks Southern crops.
The northern corn rootworm lays eggs that can sit in soils between two and five years before hatching. That complicates control measures.
Scientists expect corn hybrids containing the technology will help farmers regain the upper hand over a variety of above-ground and below-ground pests that current technology is struggling to contain.
Yield losses of 5 percent are par for the course in second-year soybeans. Pest problems can boost those losses to 50 percent or more.
Hell hornets have arrived in the U.S. Asian giant hornet reaches just over 2” long and packs a painful, tissue-destroying sting capable of sending allergic victims to the morgue.
Fields wiped out in a matter of hours. Pests marching from grasses and into farm fields and pastures. It’s an armyworm infestation so intense it’s unlike anything farmers and entomologists in Ohio have ever seen.
Heat and drought aren’t the only issue farmers in drought-stricken areas are dealing with. Grasshoppers are also destroying pastures and crops. Producers say it’s finishing off what’s left of an already dire crop.
Disease pressure is building in parts of Illinois. Also, check out the agenda and register for Farm Journal Corn & Soybean College, set for Aug. 3-4.
Southern farmers are battling an infestation of fall armyworms. From hay fields to soybeans and rice, armyworms are causing severe damage. And now, Arkansas farmers have one more option to control the pest in rice.
In soybeans, look for white mold issues this week. Initial symptoms generally develop in the R3 to R6 production stages.