The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship released their most recent crop report on Monday.

Iowa State University Extension Field Agronomist Mike Witt says that in Guthrie County, there are already a few farmers who were able to work in their fields during a ten day stretch of favorable weather at the beginning of April, but that corn can be planted until the end of May, while soybeans can be planted until as late as June without much drop off in the yield from the field. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio about the moisture conditions in the soil.

“Well, for the topsoil area, what we’re really looking at is we’re probably around that 70 to 75 percent in the adequate and up into the surplus area. Again, that’s with the topsoil, that’s with what we’ve been going on there. But when we get into the subsurface moisture, that’s where we’re starting to see maybe only about 40 percent to 50 percent in that adequate or the surplus. And then again, the rest of it is going to be in that short, very short category.”

Witt mentions that planting conditions are actually ideal at this time for those farmers who haven’t gotten started with putting seed in the ground, especially with soil temperatures hovering in the 50-60 degree range. He adds that with the recent rains though, it is smarter to wait until the topsoil dries up a little, to avoid things that would set progress back.