2000 Year at McNay Research Farm

The weather in early 2000 was some of the warmest and driest on record. Mild dry weather in March allowed early oat planting in excellent seed beds. Continued warm dry weather allowed corn and soybean planting to be completed the earliest in my 23 years at McNay. The dry weather ended in June. Hay not cut in May was very difficult to get mowed and dried, without being rained on at least once. Rainfall and weather patterns produced conditions ideal for insects and some fungal diseases. With these challenges, corn yields were variable (90-160 bu/acre) but averaged 127.5 bu/acre. Early planted soybeans yielded better than later plantings. Our average soybean yield was 42 bu/acre. Last year I thought the dry corn coming out of the field was a once in lifetime thing, but with early planting and a warm dry fall, dry corn was harvested again in 2000

Farm and Weather Summary

Includes: Farm Comments Crop Season Comments Weather Comment

Farm and Weather Summary

Includes: Farm Comments Crop Season Comments Weather Comment

Farm and Weather Summary

Includes: Farm Comments Crop Season Comments Weather Comment

Southern Iowa tillage results

The McNay Memorial Research Farm near Chariton is located in the south-central Iowa agroclimatic zone and presents several unique challenges for farmers in that area. The McNay Research Farm is characterized by a series of irregular-shaped upland flats, flanked by gentle-to-steep slopes. The upland flats constitute about 20 percent of the land area

McNay Sheep Flock Production Parameters

The McNay ewe flock was moved from Beaconsfield to the McNay Research Farm in the fall of 1989. The flock has served as a resource for applied management and nutrition studies along with disease research. The flock is also used as a resource for producer education and to demonstrate proper midwestern production systems that can be applied to Iowa operations

Evaluation of Year-round Forage Management Systems for Spring- and Fall-Calving Beef Cows

Stored feeds make up almost half the cost of production for cow–calf enterprises in Iowa. Therefore, any reduction in the amount of stored feeds needed to maintain cows through the winter can have an impact on overall costs of maintaining the herd. Two resources that may be used to reduce the use of stored feeds are corn-crop residues and stockpiled perennial forages, which may be grazed during the winter. The objective of this experiment was to design and evaluate grazing systems to utilize such resources

Integrating Organic Soybean Production on Land Formerly in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

Objectives of this research and education program included an examination of tillage and weed management operations for organic farming on CRP land. In 1999, an experiment was initiated at the ISU McNay Research and Demonstration Farm at Chariton, Iowa, to evaluate the effect of four tillage methods for organic soybean production on land formerly in CRP. After demonstrating the success of organic soybeans on CRP land in 1999 (average yield–49.3 bushels/acre), an expansion of this experiment was initiated in 2000 as a longer term study to examine crop rotations and weed management in organic systems on CRP land