Northwest Iowa Crop Conditions

Crops are looking much better after much needed warm up/sunshine late last week. Our northwest
region received less rain than areas to the south or east. Rain amounts have been manageable so far, very little
crop loss has occurred so far.

Most corn is 3 to 5 inches tall with a nice even stand. In May corn was beat-up from wind, frost, and generally cool temps. It was amazing how fast it greened up and grew when conditions improved last week and over the
weekend. The next challenge will be post-emerge herbicide applications, especially if the wet forecast is accurate.

Soybean planting has been on going now for over a month. Areas northwest of Storm Lake are nearly finished, but
other areas are still struggling because of wet field conditions. Soybeans don’t like wet soil or cool temps, so
they aren’t off to the best start. Soybeans are resilient, and they will be fine if conditions improve in June.

The markets continue to disappoint anyone with stored old crop corn or soybeans. A bounce in prices is overdue,
but a major recovery is not expected without a serious weather scare.