Accumulated base: 50 F degree days and departure from normal--May 1 through August 5, 2007.

Iowa crop producers enter August with crop conditions on the edge. Rain in the first week of August has helped in many areas, but the warm weather can hasten crop development. Accumulations of degree days over the normal during grain fill tend to shorten the fill period, which generally limits grain yield.

Soybean aphid populations have grown dramatically in many parts of Iowa. Insecticide treatment for control of aphid on soybean, coupled with midseason fungicide treatment of corn, may mean we remember the summer of 2007 as the year of the airplane.

Rich Pope is an extension program specialist working with the Iowa State University Corn and Soybean Initiative.