Northwest Iowa Crop Conditions

Northwest of Storm Lake

Counties of: Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sioux

April 20, 2015

Past Weeks Rainfall: .2 to 1.25

Soil Moisture: Adequate

Temperature: Last week was normal, but this week is cold.

Crop Progress: Fertilizer applications, tillage, and some early corn planting

Corn

Crop Stage: 6% Planted

Yield Potential: Average

Soybean

Crop Stage: No soybeans planted

Yield Potential: Average

Corn Market

Current Prices: $3.62/bu

Fall Prices: $3.66/bu

Past Weeks Trend: Slightly Higher

Soybean Market

Current Prices: $9.38/bu

Fall Prices: $8.98/bu

Past Weeks Trend: –

Comments:

Chad Husman AFM

April weather has been fairly normal so far, but we are cooling off this week with lows in the 30’s. A good amount
of field work was done last week because soil conditions were nearly perfect. If the extended forecast wasn’t
calling for a major cool down, a lot more corn would have been planted last week. We had enough rain over the
weekend to keep us out of the fields for most of this week.

I expect many farmers will start planting corn later this week or next week even though the soil will be on the cold side. Ideally corn is planted when soil reaches a minimum of 50 degrees and is in a warming trend. The optimal
window for corn planting ranges from mid-April to mid-May, so we still have plenty of time.

The grain markets continue to bounce around this spring. They have struggled to sustain rallies because of the
large supply and strong U.S. dollar. The weather will be the biggest factor controlling the markets for the next 4 to 5 months.

Crop Update Achives

Please click on the links on the right to view the past pdf’s of our Northwest Crop Conditions reports.