Northwest Iowa Crop Conditions

NW Iowa is receiving much needed rain early this week. The rain is very welcome after a warm and dry first half of May. The extended forecast calls for more chances of rain in the next week or so and possibly getting dry again after that in early June. There are very few farms remaining to be planted for the first time, but there are a handful of farms that may need to be replanted because of stand issues.

Nearly all the corn is now planted, and most of it has emerged in really good shape. One of the most consistent corn stands overall for this region in years. Soil conditions warmed up quickly in early May which was ideal for fast seedling growth. Most of the corn is between 1” to 5” tall at this point (VE to V3). The corn planted in early May had a fast emergence, but the mid-April planted corn took nearly 4 weeks. For the most part, all the corn regardless of planting date ended up with a good stand. The exception is in areas that had a hard pounding rain in late-April. If the corn was planted just ahead of that hard rain, there were issues with soil crusting and poor emergence. In some cases, replanting was needed. Overall, this year’s corn crop is still off to a very good start in this region.

Over 90% of the soybeans in this area are now planted and most have emerged in good shape. There are isolated issues of poor stand (like corn) where crust formed on the top inch of the soil. This was caused either by a hard pounding rain or when the soil was worked or planted too wet. In either case, the top inch or two will turn to concrete when it dries quickly.