Northeast Research Farm Summary

Contains the Farm and Weather Summary for the Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm

Corn Population Research

Producers continually question whether they should be increasing corn plant populations based on planting date, soil/weather conditions, and seed company recommendations. Previous high corn yield award winners have claimed that they have used deep tillage and high populations in highly fertile soils to garner their award winning yields. Improvements in genetic traits and seed treatments and in-plant protection from a number of insects have been the main selling points to increase planting populations. Advances in planting equipment (narrow and twin row configurations providing more equidistant plant spacing) have also made increasing plant populations possible. Yield increases for row spacing less than 30 in. (15 in. and twin rows) at Nashua have shown small and inconsistent yield differences with the main yield benefit being from variety selection and to a lesser extent, planting population for increasing grain yields. These trials were designed to collect information to aid in local recommendations

2000 Bt/Non-Bt Corn Variety Evaluation Study

The 2000 growing season marks the fifth year that Bt corn varieties were commercially grown in Iowa. This is the fifth year that the Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm has been field testing Bt and non-Bt hybrids for yield and related parameters. Bacillus thuringiensis, commonly known as Bt, is a naturally occurring soil bacterium toxic to European corn borers (ECB). The Bt gene is genetically modified and inserted into the corn hybrids, whereby the protein that occurs in the corn plant kills the European corn borers (ECB). Different Bt genes and different promoters, which are commonly called events, are used by different companies. These genes and promoters vary in their expression and subsequent level of ECB protection. The recent decisions by several countries and major grain buyers to not purchase certain genetically modified (GMO) corn hybrids or certain Bt events in several companies’ hybrids has captured the attention of farmers and grain purchasers. In a time of low commodity prices, the decision by producers to grow and sell GMO crops will become more difficult because the future prices or premiums for such crops are in question. The decision will primarily be made on economics of the total costs to produce the crop and the ability to segregate grains at harvest

Field Days and Farm Tours

You are welcome to use the information contained in this progress report, and your advice and/or contribution to future research is welcome. We thank Iowa State University researchers, extension staff, Northeast Iowa Experimental Association members, and agribusiness people for their support. The success of the Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm is truly a group effort. On March 21, we held our Northeast Iowa Agricultural Experimental Association annual meeting. Patty Judge, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, gave an overview of current issues in this year’s legislative session, such as water quality and nutrient management and their implications for Iowa Agriculture. Meeting topics also included nitrogen and phosphorous management from commercial and manure sources by Antonio Mallarino and an introduction to the Maquoketa River Watershed Project, by Jim Baker. A seasonal review of this past year’s research was also given by Ken Pecinovsky. The board meeting was conducted after the morning presentations

Roundup Ready and Conventional Soybean Yield Trial

A yield performance study was conducted at the ISU NE Research and Demonstration Farm to compare twelve Roundup Ready® soybean varieties, and eleven conventional soybean varieties, one of which is a soybean variety grown for the organic market. Roundup Ultra was applied on the Roundup Ready® varieties, and a conventional herbicide program was used on the commercial soybean varieties to evaluate weed control and grain yield

2001 Crop Season

2001 proved to be reasonably dry year, more so than 2000 and with no comparison to 1999, when severe flooding occurred. Near-record snowfall occurred in the fall of 2000, with five inches in November and 27.5 inches in December. Only 12.25 inches of snowfall were recorded in January and February of 2001, with no measurable snowfall occurring in March. The last snow of spring occurred April 16

Bt/nonBt Corn Variety Evaluation Study

The 2005 growing season marks the tenth year that Bt corn varieties were commercially grown and evaluated at the Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm. Bacillus thuringiensis, commonly known as Bt, is a naturally occurring soil bacterium toxic to European corn bores (ECB) that has been genetically modified and inserted into the corn hybrids. European corn borer incidence is highly variable by year and location. Bt seed corn and insecticide applications are not always warranted each year because of low corn borer populations, due to environmental conditions, several fungal diseases, natural enemies/predators, and parasites. Bt hybrids offer a management option for control of ECB, in which the increased cost of the seed corn must be compared with the cost and effectiveness of insecticide