Southeast Iowa Crop Conditions

Mother Nature has flipped the switch and turned on the warmer weather. The snow in the fields has melted except along fence lines and terraces but that should all be gone by Wednesday night. If we can avoid any significant rain, field work will likely accelerate over the weekend. The 15 day forecast looks mostly dry for Northwest Iowa and average to above average temps are expected. If this hold true,planting will go from 0% done in Iowa to almost done in the next two weeks.

Soil temps are the most important factor that farmers look at when deciding when to get out and plant.The warmer weather has increased the 4 inch depth soil temperature significantly over the last 4-5 days.Corn seeds will germinate when the soil temp hits 50 degrees or higher. With the sun and warmth we are expecting, that will likely happen very soon.

The next most important factor that is considered is soil condition (moisture level). We only get one chance to plant the crop every year (hopefully with no replanting) and going out in poor soil conditions can set you up for success or failure with your first operation of the year. Patience will be the key this year as planting gets under way.

Below is a map of the 4 inch soil temps as of Tuesday, April 24th. It’s a bit small but most counties in Northwest Iowa are in the low 50’s except for a couple counties up in the corner that received more snow last week.