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Iowa Corn Provides Media Resources to Cover Corn Planting

April 10, 2017

We have reached the middle of April which means farmers will soon head to the fields to plant this year's corn crop. Just as farmers will work hard to plant their crop, we know that you as media will work just as hard to cover Iowa’s planting season from many angles. Below are a few resources and facts we would like to provide for your #Plant17 coverage.  

The volunteer farmer-leaders that serve the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB) will be available to do phone interviews upon request. (These interviews will require a bit of planning and flexibility on everyone’s part, and will be dependent on the weather and timing. Please contact us in advance to schedule an interview.) 

Access some of Iowa Corn’s best planting photos and videos, including:

  • Day in the Life video of corn planting on the Blair family farm in 2016.

  • Watch and share Iowa Corn’s 2016 Let’s Plant and​ Are You Ready videos.

  • Download the best Corn Planting Photos of 2015 & 2016 courtesy Iowa Corn. Please attribute Iowa Corn for photos

Iowa Corn Planting FAQs - Corn is planted when the soil is warm enough to germinate the seeds but not so early that the young plants are likely to be damaged by frost. Agronomists say you shouldn't plant corn until the soil temperature is 50 degrees Fahrenheit at the 4-inch depth. Iowa State provides the three day forecast and soil temperatures by county. Click here for the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) crop condition report for Iowa.  

Planting early can give the corn plants time to mature before they face the stress of Iowa's summer heat and can lead to increased yields come harvest. Per Iowa State University Extension, the optimum dates for planting corn range from mid-April to the end of April in north central and northeast Iowa with the first or second week in May being ideal for other parts of the state. 

Per the USDA NASS’s Prospective Plantings report, Iowa farmers intend to 13.3 million acres of corn in 2017. Despite the national shift in corn acres, Iowa farmers are expected to plant about the same amount of corn as previous years. 

Contact: Lisa Cassady, Iowa Corn Public Relations Manager, lcassady@iowacorn.org, 515-225-9242

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The Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB), works to develop and defend markets, fund research, and provide education about corn and corn products. The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) is an 8,000-member strong grassroots-driven organization, headquartered in Johnston, Iowa, serving members across the state, and lobbying on agricultural issues on behalf of its farmer members to create opportunities for long-term Iowa corn grower profitability. For more information, visit iowacorn.org.

 

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