Dectes Texanus, a stem borer pest, made the jump from sunflowers to soybeans  in Kansas and has now been found in 20 states. 

A damaging longhorn beetle has inched its way into parts of western Iowa, raising concerns for farmers about soybean plant damage and yield decreases heading into the 2024 growing season.

Dectes Texanus, otherwise identified as the soybean stem borer, could move further across Iowa, said Erin Hodgson, professor with the Iowa State University Department of Entomology, who will be monitoring how pervasive the pest becomes this summer and beyond.

“I think it has been here for a few years at low...