Northwest Iowa — Farmers in our area are just getting started with planting, and other springtime field work continues.
The latest USDA Crop Report says that rain prevented field work early in the week last week, but by the weekend many Iowa producers were able to get into their fields. Statewide there were 1.8 days suitable for fieldwork last week. Field work activities included anhydrous, fertilizer, and manure applications, and some CRP burning as part of mid-contract management. Where conditions allowed, field cultivation also took place. Farmers also prepared equipment for planting as they waited for the soil to warm up and dry out.
Iowa State University Extention and Outreach Crop Field Specialist Joel De Jong tells us what he’s observed.
DeJong says we are just past the date when farmers can start planting.
He says while it may be fit to plant in some northwest Iowa fields, others are not ready yet.
DeJong says as far as this year compares to average, we’re right on time. He says right now the average over the years has been three days per week that are fit for field work. He says in the middle of April it goes up to four days per week. DeJong says the ideal planting window is about 25 days, and many farmers only need about five good days to plant their corn, so depending on the weather there should be many opportunities to plant corn.
