This latest crop report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows most of the state benefited from rain in the last several days. In north central Iowa’s Winnebago County, farmer Wayne Johnson says he’s thankful for the rain, especially with hot and dry weather in the forecast.
“Even with a tenth of an inch of rain, it hits the leaves of the corn and then they funnel it down the stalk, and so it really does a nice job of channeling the water to itself. And the ground is shaded in the corn so that really helps, it creates kind of a humid environment down there,” Johnson explains.
Johnson says the corn on his farm near Forest City can use any water it gets, but is at a stage where it should be able to withstand this week’s heat. “Corn is between waist and shoulder high and we’re a week before the Fourth of July so that’s good, and beans are pretty well shaded in , they’re up there a good 18 inches tall. The crops are really coming along, they look good, we kinda need the timely water,” Johnson says.
He says most of the soybeans should also be alright in the short term because they are about three weeks away from a point of critical growth. The crop report rates topsoil moisture levels 14% very short, 40% short, and 45% adequate.
East Central Iowa is the driest with 78% of the topsoil moisture rated short to very short.