Crop Updates from Iowa Corn Leaders – Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Ninety-eight percent of the corn acreage in Iowa has emerged with a majority of the crop rated in good or excellent conditions, according to the USDA Crops and Weather Report this week. With soybean planting nearing completion, 87 percent of the crop has emerged and looking good as well.

Bob Bowman of DeWitt in Clinton County, president of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB), has only had about one-half of an inch of rain in the past week. They are getting ready to side-dress nitrogen their strip-till corn acres. He and his son operate a custom spraying business and have finished spraying corn a second time for customers. They still have corn acres to spray for themselves. The rain has been welcomed. Soybeans are growing really well. Some of the corn is six or seven collar stage while some corn is still small. He says the crops are in good shape but they could use more rain.

Nick Leibold of New Hampton received a few showers last week. He received about one and one-half inches of rain at his home farm but other farms varied and had less precipitation. Crops have emerged are looking good. He has been applying side-dressed anhydrous this week in fields that didn’t get it last fall. He hasn’t heard of any insect issues. Corn has good color and the soybeans are looking ok. Some warmer weather would probably help both crops.

Roger Zylstra of Lynnville, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA), had some rain this past Sunday. He was able to get his corn sprayed last week and has been spraying the edges of the soybean fields this week. They will probably spray the entire soybean fields within the next 10 days. The crops in his area are looking good and they’ve been able to avoid major storms.

Carl Jardon of Randolph received three inches of rain a week ago when storms rolled through southwest Iowa. Jardon had a little hail but there was more storm damage not far from him with even greater hail damage. Jardon received another inch of rain last Friday. Overall, he says the crops are looking good with all the moisture they’ve been receiving. He says, the crops could use some warmer days now.

Some corn acres in southwest Iowa were hit by hail last week. Overall, the majority of the corn crop in Iowa is rated in good to excellent condition.