Following a hiatus due to the pandemic, the Farm Progress Show returned to Boone, Iowa, in full force in September. Iowa State had a 6,000 square feet exhibit that showcased the latest agricultural research and technology with more than 135 faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students and Extension specialists presenting on a wide variety of topics.

Highlights from the show included the ISRC affiliates and their advancements in research listed below. ISU Agronomy Department Chair and ISRC Management Team member Kendall Lamkey has helped chair the Farm Progress Show’s Planning Committee since 2010.

Soy asphalt on display

Due to connections made during the ISRC’s 2021 SoyFest, Eric Cochran, chemical and biological engineering, joined up with Matt Jungmann, Farm Progress Show Manager, in July 2022, to pave a strip of soy asphalt for the Farm Progress Show’s exhibitor area. A booth representing the ISU/ISA/Soylei/Colorbiotics collaboration was also present at the event. Iowa State researchers developed the soy-based asphalt that uses a bio-polymer from high oleic soybean oil, research that received funding from the ISA.

Smartphone app helps ID insects

A digital ag display included an insect identification mobile app designed by Arti Singh, agronomy, and her team, that helps detect more than 1,000 insects through photos. The app tells users if the insect is beneficial or a pest, and helps producers come up with treatment plans for those insects that are pests.

Weed Seed Destructor and other methods showcased

Prashant Jha, agronomy, Extension weed specialist demonstrated the weed seed destructor. Fitted to a combine, the weed seed destructor pulverizes and destroys seeds so that they cannot germinate.

Other methods of weed control also were featured including videos of chaff lining, a method that guides the harvested chaff into narrow bands as it flows out the back of the combine at harvest, which reduces the spread of weed seeds by more than 95% across fields and contains weed seeds in smaller spaces. In addition, cereal rye was recommended as a cover crop, as it has the best potential to suppress weeds since it has more biomass than other cover crop species.