Crop growth in Iowa progresses ahead of last year

With sunny days and a few rainstorms, farmers in the area have had a good start to the crop season with only a few problems, a polar opposite compared to last year.

For the week ending June 14, virtually all the corn crop has emerged with conditions rating 83 percent good to excellent, according to the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Farmers in most of the state except southwest Iowa have nearly completed all the soybean planting. Emergence reached 93 percent almost three weeks ahead of last year, but only nine days ahead of the average.

In southeast Iowa, 90 percent of soybeans have emerged.

Farmers had a good window to plant this year and despite a few cold days hindering the growth in early May, the crops are looking healthy and progressing nicely.

Area farmers were able to start planting around April 20, said Rebecca Vittetoe, field agronomist with the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

This year has been vastly different compared to last year's planting season. Last year, Iowa had a historically wet spring delaying planting. By June 16 of last year, only 98 percent of the crop was in the ground, more than two weeks behind the 5-year average, according to the USDA.

'Last year we shattered records for late planting, this year, we were at the other end of the spectrum because of some of the weather we had in April,” said Virgil Schmitt, field agronomist with the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. 'I had many people telling me they had never gotten done with planting so early.”

Iowa has seen warm temperatures, and two strong storm systems brought heavy rain over the area during the week ending in June 14.

'The statewide average temperature was 70.6 degrees, 1.1 degrees above normal,” said Justin Glisan, state climatologist, in the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition report by the USDA. 'Two strong storm systems brought heavy rain across western Iowa and especially over Eastern Iowa, where a tropical system brought over three inches of above average rainfall.”

Because of the heat, Schmitt said there are some instances of the corn getting wrapped up in itself. This is called 'rapid growth syndrome.” This occurs when corn leaves don't unfurl properly and the leaves becomes wrapped up.. This is usually associated with a quick transition from cool to warm temperatures and the plant growth accelerates rapidly.

”This is something we see this time of year on a fairly regular occasion,” Schmitt said. 'Those plants will blow out of that and go on and be totally normal plants.”

Overall, Vittetoe said the crops look good and don't seem to have any problems outside of a short 'ugly duckling” stage.

One challenge farmers are facing right now is the ability to spray their fields due to the high winds.

'Last Friday and then all this week up until today, I would say about half of my time has been looking at dead drift issues because of that,” Schmitt said.

There are different types of drift issues farmers can see. If there is corn and soybeans beside each other, the strong winds can cause the herbicides to drift onto the other plant. There are some herbicides that are good for corn, but will kill corn and there are some herbicides that are good for soybeans but will kill corn.

'Yesterday [June 17] I was in four different ones of all had to do with corn herbicides moving into soybeans,” Schmitt said.

Iowa State University suggests farmers cut off spraying once winds are 10 mph or more. Schmitt said there have not been many days with winds low enough.

A different drift issue farmers can face is herbicides drifting onto trees, roses and gardens.

Schmitt said one individual struggled with drift issues of herbicide onto their garden which the individual uses for farmers markets. At least half if not more of this person's produce was destroyed by drift.

'When in doubt, throw it out,” Schmitt said. 'So if it gets drifted on, you can't sell it.”

From and insect and disease standpoint, Schmitt said it has been a good year and there have not been many issues. Vittetoe said they don't expect to see many diseases until end of June early July.

An insect farmers may have to face is stalk borers. Stalk borers are moving from grassy areas into cornfields along and south of Highway 30, and soon will be north of Highway 30, Schmitt said.

In the fall, the moths lay eggs in areas with tall grass or giant ragweed plants. In the spring, they hatch and will travel to grassy areas to feed such as waterways, fence lines and grassy buffers.

'One of the issues that can occur, is if people go in and kill giant ragweeds, then what will happen is they will go into the corn,” Schmitt said.

Farmers can get a 'heads up” of stalk borers and the size of the group by examining the grass for dead heads.

'The vast majority of dead heads will have been killed by stalk borers who are outgrowing the grass plant and moving into nearby corn,” Schmitt said. 'The more dead heads you find, the more stalk borers may be poised to move into corn.”

Schmitt said if people keep their waterways and fence lines well mowed and practice good weed control, they're going to prevent egg laying.

Because of the quick change in temperatures, Schmitt said he has seen some corn crops that are purple or yellow in color and it has to do with crop roots not functioning correctly.

'We had cool weather and then all of a sudden the heat came on and the tops of the plants started growing faster than the root system,” Schmitt said.

The season is progressing into the time frame where the corn is going into accelerated growth. The plants need a tremendous amount of potassium so if the roots haven't caught up, there may be some potassium deficiency symptoms. If the land has good soil fertility this will be a transitional event.

'When the roots can get caught up that will quit progressing up the plant and all will be well,” Schmitt said.