cropCENTRAL | Field Crop Production Resources

Calling Central Illinois Landowners with CP42

  • January 16, 2018

  • Maddy Kangas

 
Agriculture comprises nearly half of terrestrial global landscapes posing a number of challenges to native pollinators. However, the Conservation Reserve Program’s CP42 Pollinator Habitat program aims to mitigate these challenges by providing pollen and nectar resources for pollinators where they may be lacking.
With funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the North Central IPM Center, Madeline Kangas, a University of Illinois graduate student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences,…

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One More Call for Soybean Production Information

  • January 12, 2018

  • Emerson Nafziger

A number of times over the past 30 months I’ve asked Illinois soybean producers for help in gathering field-level information on soybean fields to feed into a study, led by the University of Nebraska and funded by the North Central Soybean Research Program, looking at weather, soil, and management effects soybean yield over the Corn Belt.
The last growing season from which we are collecting information is 2017, so this is probably the last time I’ll ask.…

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2018 Crop Management Conferences Registration Open

  • December 11, 2017

  • Dennis Bowman

Registration is open for the 2018 Crop Management Conferences. These regional conferences provide a forum for discussion and interaction between participants and university researchers. We are looking forward to introducing new specialists from the University of Illinois, and have adjoining state specialists joining us at Mt. Vernon and Malta. We will also be offering dicamba training at the conclusion of each conference.
Certified Crop Advisers can earn up to 8 hours of continuing education credit. Advance registration,…

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Precautions for Dicamba Use in Xtend Soybeans

  • November 27, 2017

  • Aaron Hager

The extension weed science programs at The Ohio State University, Purdue University, and the University of Illinois recently collaborated to produce suggestions and precautions for use of dicamba in dicamba-resistant soybean.  The United States Environmental Protection Agency issued amendments to the Xtendimax, Engenia, and FeXapan labels last October, and this new extension weed science publication offers additional suggestions to help further reduce off-target dicamba movement.  Dicamba Precautions…

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Label Changes for XtendiMax, Engenia, and FeXapan

  • November 10, 2017

  • Aaron Hager

On October 13, the United States Environmental Agency (EPA) issued several amendments to the XtendiMax, Engenia, and FeXapan labels that will impact all purchases and applications of these products in 2018 and beyond.  These amendments can be summarized as:
1) XtendiMax, Engenia, and FeXapan are now restricted use products (RUP), permitting only certified applicators to purchase and/or apply these products.
2) Prior to applying these products in 2018, applicators must complete dicamba or auxin-specific training.  Two of the labels further specify training will be required annually.…

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Timing Fall Nitrogen

  • October 19, 2017

  • Emerson Nafziger

The substantial rain that fell over central and northern Illinois between October 5 and 15 mostly soaked into the soil that was dried out by crop water use, and harvest has moved back to full speed in most areas. With harvest, thoughts turn to application of fall ammonia in central and northern Illinois. Almost everyone is on board with waiting until soil temperatures are at or below 50 degrees before applying ammonia. Cool soil (along with use of nitrification inhibitor) lowers the rate of nitrification,…

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Weed Seed Destructor Field Demonstration Reminder

  • October 5, 2017

  • Aaron Hager

Here is a great opportunity to see a novel weed management tool!  Dr. Adam Davis, USDA/ARS weed ecologist at the University of Illinois, will host a field demonstration of the Harrington Seed Destructor (HSD) on October 12.  The HSD will be run several times during the tour, so please attend even if you are not able to arrive exactly at 1:00 p.m.  The following news release, written by Lauren Quinn, provides more details about the field demonstration.…

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Using the N rate calculator

  • September 27, 2017

  • Emerson Nafziger

A group of people who work on nitrogen fertilizer met in 2004 to talk about an alternative to the yield-goal-based N recommendation system that had been in widespread use for some three decades. The main concern with the yield-goal-based system was that, as corn yields increased over time, N rate trials were showing that the amount of fertilizer N needed to maximize yields was not going up as fast as yields. On the other hand, the amount of fertilizer N needed on lighter soils,…

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Issues as Harvest Approaches

  • September 16, 2017

  • Emerson Nafziger

It is looking like at least some harvest surprises may be positive after an up-and-down 2017 season in Illinois. The September 1 yield predictions released by the USDA this week are for Illinois corn yield to average 189 bushels per acre, up a bushel from the August 1 estimate. The soybean yield estimate is unchanged at 58 bushels per acre. Both would be outstanding after the tough start to the year and dry weather at times over much of the state.…

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New Grain Phosphorus and Potassium Numbers

  • September 7, 2017

  • Emerson Nafziger

Corn and soybean take up relatively large amounts of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), and much of this P and K ends up in the grain that is taken off the field during harvest. In order to keep soil nutrient levels from dropping over time, the amounts removed need to be replaced by applying fertilizer or manure.
In order to know how much nutrient a crop removes, we need to know how much there is in a bushel of harvested grain.…

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