Iowa Corn News

Since 2013, Iowa has taken significant steps in its goal of reducing nutrient losses that eventually flow into the Gulf of Mexico with its Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS), and the effort is gaining momentum. Science, technology, and farmer initiatives are working together in pursuit of these objectives. In cities, wastewater treatment facilities are already meeting...

Corn farmers who split-apply nitrogen now have another option for crop insurance coverage. For an additional premium, growers can cover the risk of weather preventing side-dress nitrogen from being applied between V3-V10 stage of growth. If weather prevents the side-dress application, indemnity payments will be made to farmers who have this additional coverage option. The...

The Growing Climate Solutions Act was recently passed into law as part of the Omnibus bill that has been signed by the President. It creates a program at USDA to help solve technical entry barriers to farmer and forest landowner participation in carbon credit markets. These issues – including access to reliable information about markets and access...

Weather is an unpredictable wild card for Iowa’s farmers and has a major impact on the nitrogen status of fields both during and after the growing season. This is a good time to remind everyone about the importance of considering residual nitrate levels in soils after the growing season. Both dry and wet conditions can...

Happy Thanksgiving! Here are some post-harvest considerations. The arrival of colder weather has many farmers busy with fall nitrogen applications. However, it’s important to keep in mind that due to drought conditions, nitrogen levels in Iowa’s soils are likely high since the soil retains more nitrogen during drought. As a result, we encourage you to test your soil to...

As harvest is wrapping up and colder weather is on the horizon, soil temperatures are nearly in the safe zone for fall nitrogen applications.  Risk of nitrogen loss is reduced when soil temperatures are consistently below 50 degrees.  Be sure to test your soil to account for this nitrogen and make sure it doesn’t leave the soil...

The USDA recently announced $2.8 billion in funding for 70 Climate Smart Agriculture proposals.  See the full list of projects funded here. There will be additional announcements for another round of funding in the near future. Iowa Corn wrote letters of support for the following three proposals that received funding and will continue to work with these organizations...

This year at the Iowa State Fair 40 farm families were recognized with the Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Award. Congratulations to these families for their leadership and dedication to conservation.  Click here for more information about the awards including nomination forms for next year’s awards.  In recent news, the Iowa Nutrient Research & Education Council (INREC) announced at...

Summer is flying by! Now is the time to check out the list of events below and attend a field day in your area. They are a great way to share conservation successes with fellow farmers and gain new insights as well. In recent news the EPA announced on June 30, it is reopening the...

Hello and welcome to summer! Here are some of the hot sustainability programs, events and news of the month. Check out the update and information regarding the Iowa Pest Management Program and Monarch butterfly population below.   Pest Resistance Management – The Iowa Pest Resistance Management Program is a grassroots effort with farmer input designed to...