Diseases cause losses to our crops every year, and 1996 was no exception. Many of the disease problems this year were associated with the wet spring. Cooler-than-normal summer temperatures also influenced diseases, some positively, some negatively. In com, the most troubling disease problems were seedling diseases and early-season crown rot. Some foliar diseases appeared late in the season, causing losses in some fields. Gray leaf spot did not develop into a widespread problem as it did in 1994 and 1995, but this disease remains an important issue. Common rust and Stewart's wilt reached damaging levels in some fields. There were more notable disease problems in soybeans in 1996. Rhizoctonia root rot killed seedlings and stunted older plants in many fields. White mold was the most serious problem of the year, appearing most severely in the northern half of the state. Fields with soybean cyst nematode commonly displayed obvious symptoms of stunting and yellowing, indicating that losses to this pest were higher than usual. Wheat and barley growers in Iowa suffered from two diseases as a result of the spring weather. Scab occurred on wheat throughout southern Iowa and on barley in NE Iowa. Ergot, a somewhat rare disease in Iowa, caused serious problems in NE Iowa barley.