In 2013, the Northwestern Illinois Agricultural Research and Demonstration Center (NWIARDC) was one field location for a research study in which graduate student Sarah Potts (under the direction of Dr. Martin Bohn, University of Illinois Associate Professor in Quantitative Genetics and Plant...

When so many of the factors that influence crop production are out of one's control, it is difficult to overcome the urge to continuously use pesticides and practices that have proved effective. But this is what one must do to in order to effectively manage pests and pathogens into the future....

The University of Illinois Extension will be offering a Soil & Water Management Seminar on February 26, 2014 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This program is geared toward Certified Crop Advisors, farmers and other agricultural professionals and will be held at both the Knox County Extension Office...

Temperature and precipitation data listed below were collected at the Monmouth weather station located a little more than 4 miles from the Northwestern Illinois Agricultural Research and Demonstration Center (NWIARDC), while soil temperature and moisture probes are located at the NWIARDC. ...

My fellow Commercial Agriculture – Crops Extension Educator Robert Bellm sent me a recently released article in Weed Science written by Norsworthy et al. (2014). This article details the results of research designed to study the in-field spread of glyphosate-resistant Palmer...

University of Illinois Extension is hosting the 10th annual Illinois Crop Management Conferences in January and February. Each conference is a two-day, in-depth program providing university research-based information on current crop production issues. The conference is geared toward farmers,...

Planting Progress: 2013 versus 2014. State-wide. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, an estimated 95 percent of corn acres have been planted, and 81 percent have emerged as of...

White mold fungus. The fungus that causes white mold of soybean is called Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. This fungus spends its life in the soil as hard, black structures called sclerotia. Sclerotia, which resemble mouse droppings, help the fungus survive over harsh winters and...

The American Society of Agronomy will be hosting a Cover Crops webinar series on Thursdays in March. Each webinar is free and open to the public. Because this series is sponsored by 13 different public and private organizations, continuing education units will also be available to registered...

Each year as the first few warm spring days arrive, farmers begin gearing up to plant: checking over tractors and planters, arranging last-minute seed or input purchases, checking field conditions and checking the daily, short- and long-term weather forecasts for the region. According to...

CCA Continuing Education Units Available. Certified Crop Advisors can earn continuing education credits through in-person and online attendance of the Resilient Agriculture Conference, August 5-7, in Ames, Iowa. Most conference sessions will be live-streamed, with the exception of...

Have you always wondered what happened at the University of Illinois' Northwestern Illinois Agricultural Research and Demonstration Center just outside of Monmouth on 210th Avenue? To find out, join us at the Monmouth Country Club (1451 E. 3rd Avenue) at 1 p.m. on March 11th for...

University of Illinois Planting Date Trials. Along with numerous other biotic and abiotic factors, environmental conditions such as soil water availability and air temperature drive the growth and development of field crops. Each year, under the direction of Dr. Emerson Nafziger,...

Symptoms. When walking through several of the earlier planted soybean fields at the Northwestern Illinois Agricultural Research and Demonstration Center trifoliate leaflets appeared to be missing significant sections of leaf tissue (Figure). Upon closer inspection...

Lower grain prices are narrowing margins for crop producers this year and are projected to continue into the future. This economic climate will be pose many economic and management challenges for crop producers. Agricultural Economists from Purdue University's Center for Commercial Agriculture...

Temperature and precipitation data listed below were collected at the Monmouth weather station located a little more than 4 miles from the Northwestern Illinois Agricultural Research and Demonstration Center (NWIARDC), while soil temperature and moisture probes are located at the NWIARDC. ...

Why the recent interest in cover crops? During the past several years, there has been a growing buzz about cover crops. Whether this was because producers were interested in experimenting with ways to reduce soil and nutrient loss, they were able to shoulder more risk(s) because of...

Note: click on photo to enlarge or see caption. A University of Illinois project funded by the Nutrient Research and Education Council through fertilizer check-off funds is looking to update grain removal rates of N, P and K. This project, undertaken by state Cropping...

Strategy for Japanese beetle traps: Detection then removal. Late each May, I place a red insecticide strip and a pheromone lure into a specially designed Japanese beetle trap that resembles a colorful torpedo or bomb (Figure). The lure works to attract Japanese...

In my travels throughout the region, one person after another talks about how they heard that the soil had frozen more than 5 feet this winter. To find out how accurate these rumors were, I began speaking to people that may have more than rumors: DATA. As part of the Illinois...