The heavy rains in northern Iowa likely did -not- help the area’s corn and soybean crops. Iowa State University Extension crop specialist John Holmes says a lot of the rain would have run off, and there probably was a fair amount of erosion, ponding in fields, and potentially submerged crops. He says the ditches and rivers are full and field ponds are all filling up.Holmes says if the water goes down fast, the crops may recover.The National Weather Service says heavy rainfall cannot be ruled out over the rest of the week for the area, and Holmes says torrential rains like this morning’s would not fair well for the crops. He says the water can leach away nitrogen in the ground, but he says it’s too early to tell if that’s happening. Holmes says this is the worst time of year for heavy rainfall.Holmes says there were some reports of hail damage in the area. He encourages anyone who has suffered crop damage or has any questions about the effects of the rainfall on their fields to contact their county’s extension office for more details.
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