Farmers got the dry weather the needed to get into the fields and move corn and soybean planting ahead, now they need another change in the weather. Thousands of acres are planted, but cool weather has kept many of those seeds from germinating.
In north Iowa, Larry Fox farms 620 acres northwest of Britt in Hancock County. He says the cool weather has slowed the planting a little more than in some other areas. “There’s some crop planted, I would estimate 75-to-80-percent planted. On our own operation, we’re about forty-percent planted. Much rainfall, cold temperatures and the soil is still very, very cool,” Fox says.
Planting was delayed last year by wet conditions, so Fox isn’t worried about getting everything in this year. “I’m not at all concerned. We’re much ahead of last year in which we did not finish our last filed of corn until May 24th. I feel like I’ve got plenty of time,” Fox says. And he says he only plans to plant the crop once this year, after heavy rains in June force many farmers to replant last year.
Fox’s windshield survey found the ground is too cold in a lot of north Iowa to get the seeds growing. “I traveled mostly south and a little west and I got to Humboldt, Iowa before I saw my first corn emerged enough that I could row it across the field.” The U.S.D.A.’s weekly update on planting progress is due this afternoon.