Iowa farmers have made significant progress in planting their crops, with 41% of the state's corn crop and 33% of soybeans planted in the last week. This progress is approximately a week ahead of average for the past five years, according to the latest progress report from the US Department of Agriculture.
As of Sunday, about 70% of the total corn crop was planted, and approximately 49% of soybeans. However, despite widespread rains, topsoil moisture has decreased, with 67% of the state's topsoil having adequate or surplus moisture compared to 71% the previous week. The state received about a half-inch of rain last week, 56% of what is typically expected.
Mike Naig, Iowa's agriculture secretary, said that "farmers made significant planting progress before late-week thunderstorms brought much-needed moisture along with unwanted hail and high winds." These thunderstorms caused some damage, but Iowa farmers still made significant progress.
The US Drought Monitor report from last week revealed that three-quarters of Iowa is abnormally dry, and almost a third is experiencing some degree of drought. Despite this, farmers are taking advantage of the current weather conditions and making progress in planting their crops.
Photo Credit: GettyImages-Kotenko_A
Categories: Iowa, Crops, Corn