We are now in the first full week of June, and from the looks of things, planting is all but wrapped up in the state of Iowa. The latest weekly crop progress report had this to say.
?Farmers were still planting some corn and soybeans this week, however nearly all planting activities are finished. There were limited reports of crop replanting in certain fields. Other field activities included cutting hay and spraying emerging crops.?
In fact, corn emergence is already at 94% and soybeans are at 87%. That is good news as far as planting progress, but there are still challenges out there. The biggest challenge is the weather.
I had a farmer from Eldon, Iowa write me yesterday and talk about how dry things are. He said:
?Small pop-up showers or a storm over a half mile, here and there. None here. Seven-inch-high corn curled. Beans at a standstill. Will be passing 30 days no rain this week in my Eldon area. St Louis NWS office says this may last a very Long. Some keep saying it will change. I bet it lasts. Too late for crops around my area I am afraid.?
That is the key variable we have. We have been hearing about rain from weather experts all spring, but nothing major has materialized. Will it come at all?
I caught up with Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig, and he talked about the planting wrapping up.
We talked about the situation with the pop-up showers we were seeing last week and commented that this is at least a start. Hopefully, it will give us more moisture to seed more moisture for those who are in real need.
Forecasts are calling for more widespread rains this week as well.
