Southeast Iowa Crop Conditions

Weather so far this summer has been very beneficial for both corn and soybeans. Areas Southeast of Storm Lake usually battle with too much moisture causing drown out areas in fields. That is not the case so far this summer as most of our rain has been moderate and timely. Above average June temps have really pushed this crop to catch back up after a cool May.

Corn is looking like it will begin to tassle and pollinate shortly after the 4th of July weekend.Excessive heat and dry weather can be detrimental from this time forward. Hot July nights are sometimes more harmful than the daytime temps,especially with lacking moisture. The majority of the corn in this area is going to pollinate within a few days since a very large percentage of the corn was planted during the same 5 days. Overall the corn crop in this area is looking very good but there is a lot of time until harvest.

Soybeans are also looking very nice this year. Some fields are still waiting to be sprayed for weeds a second time. The temps last week were nice but the wind made it difficult to safely apply herbicides.Most farmers will get those applications finished up early this week while the wind is reasonable and the temps are moderate. Some fields have already started to bloom, which is a little earlier than the last few years. The potential for a good crop is out there but soybean yields are made later in the summer.Looks in June can be deceiving.