Northwest Iowa Crop Conditions

Planting season is about to start. Today, April 10th is the earliest plant date for corn to be eligible for crop insurance replant payments. On Soybeans April 15th is the earliest plant date for this area. Very little seed is in the ground as of now, but I believe many farmers will start in the next few days. Other farmers may wait for more consistently warm soil. The two-week outlook from the national Weather Service calls for generally above average temperatures with average rain chances.

Ideally, we need to see the soil temperature at least 50 degrees and trending warmer. Today the 4-inch soil temp is just about to 50, but it should reach 60 degrees by Sunday. It looks like the soil temperature will bounce on either side of 50 next week and hopefully trend warmer after that. We like to have at least 50-degree soil particularly during the first 48 hours or so after its planted. This is called the imbibition period. Corn can tolerate a cool down after this period, but it will delay emergence and could possibly reduce stand. Planting early can maximize yields by extending the growing season, but a quality stand is required for top yields.

Soybeans don’t seem to have the same chilling injury effect during the imbibition period like corn. It seems like they either emerge in good shape or die. The early planted soybeans have shown to have a yield advantage in recent years, so some guys are planting soybeans first this year. However, soybeans can die from a freeze once they’ve emerged much easier than corn because the growing point is above ground from the start. If you plant soybeans in April, there are decent odds of replanting. It’s another risk vs reward decision.