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Rescheduled Meetings of the 2014 University of Illinois Corn & Soybean Classic

  • January 7, 2014

Nature reminded us earlier this week that even though we select meeting dates well in advance, the weather often determines whether or not we can actually hold the meeting.  Our long streak of good fortune came to an end this week as the adverse weather and road conditions forced us to reschedule two Classic meetings.  The Classic meeting at the Urbana I Hotel and Conference Center originally scheduled for January 6 has been rescheduled for January 28. …

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2014 Illinois Crop Management Conferences Registration Now Open

  • December 4, 2013

The latest research information on crop production and management issues will be discussed at four University of Illinois Crop Management Conferences this winter. These two-day conferences are designed to address a wide array of topics pertinent to crop production, pest management, and natural resource issues and provide a forum for discussion and interaction between participants and university researchers.
Certified Crop Advisers can earn up to 13 hours of CEU credit. Advance registration, no later than one week before each conference,…

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The Agenda for the 2014 University of Illinois Corn & Soybean Classics

  • November 22, 2013

With the 2013 harvest mostly completed, I would like to take this opportunity to announce the agenda for the 2014 University of Illinois Corn & Soybean Classics.  We look forward to welcoming back many who have attended one or more of our previous meetings and extend a warm welcome to those who will attend for the first time.  The program will feature nine presentations that emphasize crop production, pest management, economics, and the interactions among them. …

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“Handy Bt Trait Table” Published by Michigan State University and University of Wisconsin Entomologists

  • November 7, 2013

Drs. Chris DiFonzo (Michigan State University) and Eileen Cullen (University of Wisconsin) recently updated and published their “Handy Bt Trait Table.” This great reference provides information for transgenic hybrids on the types of Bt proteins expressed, insects controlled, herbicide tolerance, and refuge requirements for selected traits. Depending upon the specific Cry protein (below ground and/or above ground) expressed and combinations of Cry proteins delivered within the large range of Bt hybrids sold,…

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Register Now for the 2013 AGMasters Conference

  • October 15, 2013

The on-line registration site is open for the 2013 AGMasters Conference. The conference will take place December 2 and 3 at the i Hotel and Conference Center, Champaign, Illinois. The program will begin with a general session that features five outstanding speakers who will cover a broad range of topics that relate to agricultural production and the environment. Following the opening session, participants will be able to select eight of sixteen specialized workshop topics of most interest to them.…

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2013 Ewing Demonstration Fall Field Day

  • September 11, 2013

The University of Illinois Extension will host its annual Ewing Demonstration Center Fall field day on Thursday September 12, 2013 at 9 a.m. at the farm in Ewing.  The farm is located north of the Ewing grade school on north Ewing Road.  The 911 address is 16132 N. Ewing Rd; Ewing, IL 62836.  Watch for signs.
The ongoing research this year consists of a Liberty Soybean plot, insecticide/fungicide trial on soybeans, treated vs. untreated double crop soybeans,…

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Preliminary Root Ratings Posted for Corn Rootworm Products in Urbana, Illinois Trial

  • September 6, 2013

Each year, the performance of corn rootworm products (Bt hybrids and planting-time soil insecticides) are evaluated in several trials at University of Illinois Education and Research Centers located near DeKalb, Monmouth, Perry, and Urbana. The experiments are conducted in plots that were planted to a trap crop (late-planted corn, interplanted with pumpkins) the previous year. A trap crop system is used to help ensure greater levels of rootworm pressure from year to year. In 2013, the level of root pruning in three of the locations,…

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Severe Corn Rootworm Injury to Bt Hybrids in First-Year Corn Confirmed

  • August 27, 2013

On August 26, Joe Spencer an entomologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, and I traveled to Livingston and Kankakee counties and confirmed significant western corn rootworm larval injury in first-year cornfields that had been planted to Bt rootworm hybrids (VT Triple PRO RIB – expresses the Cry3Bb1 protein). The fields in question were brought to our attention by Bryan Johnston, Cabery Fertilizer, Cabery, Illinois. Bryan indicated that many first-year Bt cornfields in the area had severe root pruning and lodging.…

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Statewide Surveys in Illinois Reveal Overall Low Numbers of Corn and Soybean Insects

  • August 20, 2013

Recently, statewide surveys of insects in corn and soybean fields were conducted in 28 counties across Illinois. The surveys were performed by sampling five corn and five soybean fields (randomly selected) per county during two periods (August 1 through 6, and August 14 through 16). In each cornfield, 20 consecutive plants were examined for western corn rootworm adults. In soybeans, 100 sweeps were taken (at least 12 rows from the field edge) per field. Densities of western corn rootworm adults exceeded the 0.75 per plant (continuous corn) or 0.5 per plant (first-year corn) beetle thresholds during the August 1 to August 6 time frame in the following counties: Christian (0.91 adults per plant),…

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Soybean Aphid Activity Picks Up in Northern Illinois

  • August 12, 2013

On the morning of August 12, Russ Higgins, University of Illinois Extension Commercial Agriculture Educator, Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center, sampled soybean fields in DeKalb, Grundy, Kendall, and LaSalle counties. In four of seven commercial soybean fields, he detected soybean aphids in low numbers. Typically, Russ found one to two aphids per leaf. He also noted that beneficial insects were abundant within the soybean fields.
The economic threshold for soybean aphids remains at 250 aphids per plant with 80% of plants infested. …

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