The Ag Department report out this week says a small amount of corn has been planted thus far as the planting season gets rolling. This spring saw the unique convergence of two seasons as some farmers had to harvest corn stuck in the fields before planting the new crop. Iowa Corn Growers Association secretary treasurer, Kevin Ross, says he saw the simultaneous work in his area of southwest Iowa near Underwood — a first for him.
“I’ve never seen combining and planting run into each other, I think that’s something they only do in Brazil, isn’t it?,” Ross asked. Ross says the good news is that those farmers who had corn they couldn’t get to at the end of last year are finding the crop survived the winter pretty well.
He says he had 25 to 30 acres of corn that he didn’t get harvested last fall, and says the quality of the corn was “almost perfect.” Ross says there was a little wildlife damage, but overall he says he made up for it in drying costs as the corn was probably three to four points lower in moisture than it was last fall.
Ross says he’s heard from others in his area that said there crops were okay too. An early report predicted Iowa farmers would plant less corn this year because of the need to harvest some of the crop before planting this year. Ross isn’t sure farmers will fall that far behind.
“Don’t underestimate the Iowa corn farmer for sure when it comes to planting, you know, getting planting done and getting things done in the spring time,” Ross says. He says Iowa farmers have been underestimated before and they always seem to get things done.
Ross says it was a long winter with several inches of snow on the ground for weeks, but he says farmers are always ready to get back into the fields when the weather turns.
Ross says the sun comes out and farmers are excited to get back out and get to work. He says everyone seems to be pleasantly surprised as how fast the snow melted away, and the field conditions have shaped up really well. Ross says he’s seen some heavy rains and hail so far this spring, but those are also things farmers are used to and will work around to get the crop in the ground.