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NC Iowa Agronomy Connection NewsletterSeptember 6, 2016 | Vol. 3, Issue 17

Palmer AmaranthOn July 21 this year ISU Extension Weed Scientist, Bob Hartzler,and Field Agronomist, Meaghan Anderson, reported that Palmeramaranth was known to be in 5 counties (first identified in 2013 andholding steady). As of Friday, September 2, Bob has reported thatPalmer amaranth has now been found in 20 counties. The reasonthe number of counties has jumped so dramatically this year is two-fold; 1) people are actually going out and looking for it; and 2) themost recent findings are correlated to conservation plantingsestablished this year.

At this point, it seems highly possible to eradicate this weed beforeit becomes a problem in our crop fields. However, to do so is goingto take your vigilance in scouting for this weed. If you have a newlyseeded conservation planting, please take the time to look for thisweed. If you import hay or feed stocks from the south, please taketime to look for this weed. Once you find it, take every meansnecessary to eradicate it before it spreads. Here is a link to a videoIdentifying Palmer Amaranth and also a link to a bulletin on PalmerAmaranth Identification.

In my non-scientific poll conducted during my time in the ISU tent atFarm Progress, nearly 75% of the people who stopped to look atthe samples could not correctly identify the Palmer so please usethe resources above to help in identification. Also during my time atFarm Progress, I heard a few misconceptions about this weed. Thefirst being that all plants are short and bushy. This is not true andplant shape has to do a lot with how much competition it has duringgrowth. See this blog from Hartzler and Anderson, Palmer

Soil, Water and Wind

The Cost, or is itValue,of Conservation?

Nothing comeswithout a cost. Wehave heard it manytimes. In Extensionwe often build ourrecommendation on acost/benefit factor. Forexample, if the cost ofthe fungicide and thecost of application isnot offset in anincrease in bushelsper acre, enoughbushels to pay for thecost of the treatmentand application, wasthe use of thefungicide cost-worthy?Beneficial? Did wesee a payback on ourinvestment?

How do we look atcost, or I prefer tothink of it as value, of

amaranth- A highly variable weed. The second misconception Iheard is there are no herbicides to control this weed. Herbicidesthat work well on waterhemp should be effective on Palmeramaranth.

Note: Since this map was published on September 2, you can nowadd Boone to this list.

Bacterial Leaf Streak of Corn This new disease was recently confirmed in Iowa. Please see thisarticle written by Alison Robertson, Bacterial Leaf Streak Confirmedin Iowa. I took this photo on August 16 in Hancock County, thesample was located by Alison Robertson.

conservationpractices? Do we seea direct impact on ourbottom line when weplant a cover crop? Well, if we can showwe reduced soilerosion andconsequently loss ofvaluable organicmatter and thenutrients in thatorganic matter and/ora reduction in loss ofnutrients we apply tothe soil then yes wecan easily definevalue.

This is where we needyour help. ISUresearcher, Dr. JohnTyndall, is seekingfeedback from Iowafarmers willing to testan early version of aonline tool to betterunderstand the costsof implementingnutrient managementand soil conservationpractices. By definingcosts, maybe we candefine value.

You can reach Dr.Tyndall atjtyndall@iastate.eduor 515-294-4912.More information canbe found at Wanted:Farmers to TestOnline Iowa StateUniversityConservation CostTool.

Events

September 8. The Northern Iowa Research Farm Field Daywill be held at the south farm, located at 1040 James Ave.,Kanawha. See link for speaker details. The field day will startwith refreshments at 9 and conclude with lunch around noon.Upon completion of lunch, field day participants are highlyencouraged to join Boone River Water Quality Initiativewatershed staff for a tour of the Conservation ReserveEnhancement Program (CREP) wetland being installed northof Clarion. CCA credits will be available. If you havequestions about this event please contact Angie Rieck-Hinz at515-231-2830; Paul Kassel at 712-262-2264 or Matt

Angie Rieck-HinzExtension Field Agronomist

Office: 515-532-3453Cell: 515-231-2830

Email: amrieck@iastate.eduTwitter: @nciacrops

ServingCalhoun, Cerro Gordo,

Franklin, Hamilton, Hardin,Humboldt, Webster,

Worth and Wright Counties.

Schnabel at 641-762-3247. In the event of rain the field daywill be moved to the fire station in Kanawha. We hope to seeyou there.

Copyright © 2014 Iowa State University

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach programs are available to all without regard to race, color, age, religion, national origin,sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can bedirected to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

Cooperative Extension Service, Iowa State University of Science and Technology, and the United States Department of Agriculturecooperating.

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