Northwest Iowa Crop Conditions

Crops across Northwest Iowa continue to show strong potential. While some fields are trending dry, especially during hot, windy days, other fields remain near saturation from last week’s heavy rainfall. Isolated pockets of wind and hail damage were reported, which is typical for this time of year. Fortunately, crop stress overall has been limited, and the extended forecast remains favorable. With a few timely rains and moderate temperatures through July and August, this season has a lot of potential. That said, there’s still ample time for weather-related challenges to cause yield loss.

Corn is progressing well and looks particularly strong as it nears the critical pollination (tasseling) stage in the next week or so. This is a key period when corn is most vulnerable to wind and hail damage, so avoiding severe weather or heat stress over the next two weeks will be important.

Soybeans continue to improve daily, though they remain a bit behind in size for this point in the season despite early planting. Early to mid-maturity varieties are beginning to flower. Weed control has been inconsistent due to wet field conditions and limited spraying windows. White mold could be a problem this year, given the frequent leaf wetness from rain, fog, and dew. For some reason, we tend to see the worst white mold outbreaks every other year (odd years), so it’s something to watch for.