Farmers are gearing up for a big week in Iowa, as planting begins despite concerns over soil moisture.
Warmer temperatures have allowed farmers to get in the fields and start planting both corn and soybeans. Most of the state’s topsoil has a temperature of at least 50 degrees, which is key for seed germination.
An extension field agronomist expects fields to be in excellent conditions this week, as heavy rainfall helped relieve drought conditions. However, soil moisture still has some catching up to do.
The USDA’s latest Crop Progress report has almost half of the cropland acreage in Iowa rated in either the short or very short category for topsoil moisture conditions.
The early planting window has also opened for southern Minnesota.
A corn and soybean producer near Courtland says that they received rain over the weekend which caused fields to become a bit muddy, but with a few nice days, planting will be in full swing.
The farmer expects field conditions to be excellent to get the crop in, but they will need timely rains for crops to reach their full potential.
Farmers in Ohio are eagerly waiting for fields to dry out before they can start planting.
A soybean agronomist with Ohio State University notes that the fields are currently too wet to plant this week, but she remains cautiously optimistic that farmers will be able to get into the field next week.
Fields with cover crops may take longer to dry out ahead of planting.
