Iowa — The USDA Crop Report says there were less than two suitable days for field work last week due to wet fields. Corn planting advanced just eight percent to 47 percent now completed, and the progress is now two days behind last year and the five-year average. Soybean planting progress is now also behind two days as well, with farmers only progressing by five percent for a total crop planted at 30 percent. Iowa State University Extension field agronomist, Angie Rieck-Hinz (reek hinz), says things in her north-central area is one where planting came to halt.
Rieck-Hinz says there’s still time.
She says farmers don’t like to sit and wait after getting planting started, but that’s going to have to be the case for now.
Statewide seven percent of the corn crop that’s in the ground has emerged — which is three days ahead of last year and one day ahead of the average. Four percent of the soybean crop has emerged.
Only five percent of topsoil and ten percent of subsoil in northwest Iowa is short or very short of moisture. 59 percent of northwest Iowa topsoil has adequate moisture, and 69 percent of subsoil in northwest Iowa has adequate moisture.
61 percent of northwest Iowa corn has been planted, and 30 percent of the expected soybean crop has been planted in northwest Iowa.
(With assistance from fellow Community First Broadcasting station KAYL in Storm Lake)
