Northwest Iowa Crop Conditions

Most of NW Iowa received significant rainfall over the weekend. The three-day rainfall totals were as high as 6 inches, the highest rainfall totals were north and east of Storm Lake. Most of this region had at least 2 inches of rain or more. The rain was very welcome overall, but areas with the most rain had some issues with flooding and severe erosion of fields with loose soil. Heavily tilled fields took the brunt of the erosion. It’s been a few years since we’ve had heavy rain like that. The extended forecast calls for less rain over the next week, but then more rain is expected the week after. We should have a planting window to get finished, but those windows are getting tighter as we get into the second half of May.

Nearly all the corn is now planted, and most of it has emerged over the past week or so. Soil conditions warmed up dramatically this month which was ideal for fast seedling growth. Nearly all the corn is 1” to 3” tall at this point (VE to V2). The corn planted in early May had a fast emergence, which was great considering the slow start we had in April. The first planted corn was in the ground about 4 weeks before it emerged due to the cold soil. It’s no surprise the early corn’s stand quality is not quite as good as the May planted corn. It has more size variability, but I haven’t found anything to be concerned about yet. Overall, this year’s corn crop is off to a very good start.

At least half the soybeans in this area are now planted, which is somewhat ahead of average. There will be a lot of beans emerging later this week. The rest of the beans could get planted over the next week or so depending on rain. If we continue to get just enough rain to keep farmers out of the field, bean planting could be delayed into June which is not ideal. Yield potential is reduced when beans are planted in June, especially after mid-June.