Many conservation practices can maintain and enhance physical, chemical and biological soil properties that contribute to overall soil biological functions as fundamental drivers that support plant growth and productivity.

There is an increasing interest regarding the potential for cover crops and soybean cyst nematode to interact in the field. Particularly with the possibility that cover crops could decrease soybean cyst nematoden numbers.

There have been many reports across Iowa of corn along the edge of the fields yielding drastically less than the remainder of the field. In many cases, the yield loss is most obvious on the southern edge of the field, says Iowa State University.

The dry conditions in some areas of the U.S. in 2017 have raised several soil fertility questions. In some cases, there has been relatively normal crop production and no need for management changes. In other situations with severely damaged crops, there is potential for adjustments for the 2018 corn crop.

Iowa State University and Practice Farmers of Iowa are working to quantify the return on investment in seeding cover crops on farms.

Hagie Mfg. announces that the family-owned agricultural application equipment manufacturer has entered into a lease agreement with the Iowa State University Research Park.