Last week’s drier weather helped improve crop conditions throughout the state according to the latest state crop and weather report. Iowa Ag Secretary Patty Judge says the 2004 corn and bean crops are doing well despite unusually cool conditions. Judge says if Iowa gets some warmer weather over the next few days, the crops will be in pretty good shape. The latest crop and weather report ranks three-quarters of the state’s corn crop in good or excellent shape. Judge says about 90 percent of Iowa’s corn crop is “normal” and despite the ups and downs in weather so far this growing season, row crops are in pretty good shape. Seventy-three percent of the state’s soybeans are rated good or excellent. Judge says the abundance of rain has made it difficult to get the crops in the ground, but the first cutting of alfalfa hay is nearly complete and “things are rolling along ” — so Judge says with some sunshine and warm weather the plants in the fields should respond. Most corn will already be past the knee-high stage by July 4th.Judge says the average height of Iowa corn today in Iowa is about three feet. It’ll get much taller by the end of the growing season.
