Northwest Iowa Crop Conditions

Major flooding in Northwest Iowa and nearby areas of South Dakota, Nebraska, and Minnesota started a little over a week ago and is still ongoing. Water levels in the Little Sioux, Big Sioux, Rock, Ocheyedan, Floyd, and others reached record levels above the1993 flood. Some of the worst flooding occurred in Spencer, Rock Valley, Hawarden, Cherokee, Sioux City, and many other communities along rivers. People had to evacuate their homes and businesses and thousands of acres of cropland were flooded. A large area stretching from west of Sioux Falls to more than 150 miles east along the northern edge of Iowa and southern Minnesota received more than 10 inches of rain in two days. This area was already saturated from excess rainfall in April and May, so most of that rain quickly became runoff to the rivers. The flooding issues slowly moved southwest to the Missouri river.

Outside the wet areas and flood zones most crops are in decent shape, assuming they were able to be planted timely and have good stands (which was not easy). The best crop conditions are on rolling loess soils with good natural drainage or pattern tiled farms away from rivers, streams, or low-lying areas. In either case, excess water was able to drain away. Generally, the northern side of this territory continues to struggle with more wet spots, yellow, uneven crops, and standing water. The southern side is in much better shape in terms of crop conditions.

The corn is anywhere from 1 to 5 feet tall around the area. Some corn will begin to tassel in about a week, and other fields tassel in late-July or even early August. The wet spring will impact final yields in a variety of ways. A shift to hot and dry after the wet spring is a problem because of shallow, underdeveloped roots. Nitrogen deficiency and root lodging are also more likely this summer for corn. Soybeans also vary widely in crop condition and size. The early beans are starting to set flowers, but even those are only about a foot tall. The later planted beans are just a few inches tall. Weed control has been a challenge because of poor spraying conditions and wet fields. Despite all the issues, there is still very good yield potential on many farms so far.