2004 Annual Progress Report

 

                       Muscatine Island Research Farm, Fruitland, Iowa

 

The Muscatine Island Research and Demonstration Farm is an agricultural research and education center jointly operated by Iowa State University and the Muscatine Island Research Farm Association.  It was established in 1935 on 63 acres leased from the Rock Island Railroad in an area of the Mississippi River valley known as the ‘Muscatine Island’.  In 1983 the farm Association made up of businessmen, farmers and supporters purchased 40 acres of this original tract to maintain the research center when the railroad put the land up for sale.  An additional 66 acres located ¼ mile west of existing farm was purchased by the Association in 2002.  Almost all crops are grown under irrigation on the farm and the predominant soil type is a well-drained alluvial sand with organic matter content ranging from less than 1% to 3.0% depending on field and location. Research and extension activities focus on commercial and home production of small fruit, melons, various vegetable crops and ornamentals.  Additional projects have targeted organic/sustainable farming and the agronomic row crops of corn and soybeans. 

 

          Directors of the Muscatine Island Research Farm Association

 

                        President                     Ron Shepard, Fruitland

                        Vice President             Rick Bartenhagen, Muscatine

                        Sec.-Treasurer            Vincent Lawson, Fruitland

                        Director                       John Kiwala, Muscatine

                        Director                       Keith Bartenhagen, Muscatine

 

For more information about the Muscatine Island Research Farm contact the farm Superintendent, Vince Lawson, P. O. Box 40, Fruitland, Iowa 52749 (phone 563 262-8787 or email vlawson@muscanet.com).

 

 

                                    2004 Farm and Weather Summary

 

Farm Comments: We continue to develop and integrate the recently acquired 66 acres into research farm activities.  A new three-tower, 624’ long Valley center pivot irrigation unit was erected this spring by Halane Farms, Inc. with help from several Association member volunteers.  It replaced the old water-drive unit and provides more uniform water distribution with an electric control panel making it much more useful and flexible for irrigating crops and research projects.  This year all of the sweet corn research, the low-linolenic soybean trial and melon IPM research were conducted under the new pivot.    

 

New faces at the research farm in 2004 included Myron Reese, who was hired in the spring to fill the agricultural research specialist position with his time being split between Muscatine and the Crawfordsville research farms.  Andy Uchytil did an outstanding job as our summer intern and is currently an ISU Horticulture student.

 

Field Days and Tours: Over 500 people were guests at the farm during field days and visitations. The annual meeting was held on March 4 at the Island Methodist Church, Muscatine.  Our vegetable production field day was on July 20 and included a tour of the new ground and research located under the new center pivot.  The home demonstration garden tour and open house held on Friday evening, July 23, continues to be our most popular event with attendance over 120. 

 

Crop Season Comments: Monthly rainfall and average temperatures for the 2004 crop season at the Muscatine Island Research Farm are presented in Table 1.  The last freezing temperatures of spring occurred on April 14 when a low of 29.5 F was recorded.  The first fall frost occurred on October 2 (just barely - 31.8 F) followed by a colder, more plant damaging low of 27.6 F on October 5, which resulted in a frost-free growing season of 173 days in 2004.

 

Overall, the growing season was generally favorable to crops with good yields of muskmelon, field corn and soybeans being harvested on the research farm.  However, there were a few exceptions such as the winter rye crop (not irrigated) which suffered because of a dry April.  We were fortunate and did not experience weather extremes that can be harmful to crop plants such as hail, continual strong winds or heat stress.  We did experience some extended periods of drought during the season but irrigation and mild temperatures negated that stress.  The most important weather feature of the season was the mild to even cool temperatures during June, July and August (average temperature of 67.7 F for August is one of the coldest on record).  Crops did not experience the heat stress normally associated with these months.  Notice in Table 1 that there were only fourteen days (four in September!) when the temperature exceeded 90 F, and when they did they were just barely over 90 F.  Crop problems encountered were more apt to be related to the wet months of May and August.  For example, August provided ideal conditions for causing downy mildew disease in cucurbits.   

 

Table 1.  2004 monthly rainfall and average temperatures at the Muscatine Island

                Research Farm, Fruitland, Iowa.

 

Rainfall

 

Temperature (degrees 0F)

 

Month

 

2004

Deviation

from normal

 

 

2004

Deviation

from normal

No. days

90o or above

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April

1.15

(-2.46)

 

53.3

3.7

0

May

6.84

2.71

 

65.0

3.3

1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June

1.62

(-2.43)

 

70.4

(-1.3)

4

July

2.02

(-2.09)

 

72.6

(-2.6)

3

August

5.42

1.50

 

67.7

(-5.3)

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September

0.37

(-3.34)

 

65.1

2.0

4

October

5.09

2.53

 

53.6

2.2

0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

22.51

(-3.58)

 

 

2.0

14