Farmers need some heat as Iowa planting nears end

Widespread rainfall in the past week delayed some farmers from planting corn and soybeans, but the task is largely complete statewide.

About 95 percent of corn and 92 percent of soybeans had been planted as of Sunday, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates.

That is about a week quicker than last year and several days ahead of the five-year average.

"There's no reason everything should not be planted unless they're waiting for something or replanting for some reason," said Josh Michel, an Iowa State University Extension field agronomist who monitors the northeast corner of the state, including Linn County.

He said heavy rainfall early in the week gave way to drier conditions that made for a productive weekend in his area.

But other parts of the state had more substantial rainfall last week. Iowa as a whole had nearly double the rain that is normally expected, according to a report by State Climatologist Justin Glisan.

More than 4 inches of rain fell in the Des Moines area. The lowest precipitation totals were about a half inch in several parts of western Iowa.

"Despite the delays, most farmers are grateful to receive the rain as we recharge our soils and give the crops a strong early season boost," Mike Naig, the state's agriculture secretary, said in his weekly dispatch.

It was a cold week, too — about 8 degrees colder than normal.

"We've got plenty of moisture back in the ground," said Michel, who confers with his colleagues weekly about how crops are faring statewide. "Now we just need some heat to keep pushing them along so we can get some root systems to develop, and we should be in good shape."

High daytime temperatures are expected to reach the 80s by this weekend, which is slightly warmer than normal, according to the National Weather Service.

Before the heavy rains last week, about 7 percent of the state had moderate drought, according to a U.S. Drought Monitor report. Most of those drought-stricken areas have had at least an inch of rain since, Glisan's report indicated.

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