Central Iowa has seen a good amount of moisture recently and that has helped to push crops along.

According to Dallas County ISU Extension Field Agronomist Meaghan Anderson, soybeans are beginning to flower and corn is on track to do the same within the next few weeks. She says that insect activity is rapidly increasing with the warmer weather, specifically with Japanese beetles that are becoming more prevalent and corn root worm is another pest that has been in the fields. She reveals that the recent rainfall in central Iowa is beneficial for some farmers, and hindering others with flooding. However, she shares an overall positive development with the crops.

“The one blessing is that we’ve got warm conditions where the crops are growing fairly rapidly,  and so they are using a lot of moisture. So as long as we’re infiltrating that water into the soil and not creating a water log or a flooding situation, that moisture is there for the use of the crop, or its being drained through the soil. We’re probably on the excessive side for the short term right now, but we may be banking up some moisture that we’ll need later in the season. We’ll just have to see what the rainfall does in the coming weeks.”

Anderson describes some big challenges for farmers  include weed management with trying to avoid windy conditions, as well as attempting to apply herbicides in a safe and effective manner. As far as the remainder of the growing season, Anderson confirms that corn should start tasseling soon and that pest pressure should be showing up above ground in corn and soybeans. She adds that more rain will be needed in July and August to finish up with the crops.