The Forecasting and Assessment of Cropping Systems (FACTS) from Iowa State Extension and Outreach results as of May 5 extrapolate that Iowa soils a bit drier than neighboring Illinois or Indiana, but shouldn’t be an issue moving forward:
- Moisture below 1’ is more than enough throughout the state. Temperatures overall are good.
- Des Moines lobe has more mineralization overall, because of excellent soil condition (fast planting in the poor drained soils)
FACTS is an ongoing project developed to forecast and evaluate in real-time soil-crop dynamics at a field and regional scale. It uses weather, soil and crop information combined with machine learning to provide industry professionals the information they need to maximize yield and minimize economic impacts.
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- Professor
- Integrated Cropping Systems
- Associate Professor
- Extension Cropping Systems Specialist