Generally speaking, a lot of field activity was brought to halt across much of Iowa this last week due to wet field conditions except for parts of western Iowa that missed the rains the rest of the state saw. ISU Extension and Outreach field agronomists share more specific updates about what is happening in the regions they cover below.
Gentry Sorenson (Region 2):
Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Hancock, Kossuth, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Winnebago counties
“Field work has been slowed by rainfall which has kept many out of the field in region 2. Field work started to resume late last week before another shot of rainfall occurred. For NW Iowa according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, 50% of the corn has been planted and 11% of the soybeans have been planted. In areas of region 2 there is much less than the estimate planted. In many areas, planting has not started with only field prep activities completed. After recent rainfall and thunderstorms, we will need a few warm days to dry the soil before planting can resume.”
Angie Rieck-Hinz (Region 3):
Cerro Gordo, Franklin, Hamilton, Hardin, Humboldt, Webster, Worth, Wright counties
“From Sunday, April 20 until Monday, April 28, most of my counties have received somewhere between 2 and nearly 5”of rain with the heaviest amounts coming along the Hwy 175 to Hwy 20 corridor. According to the Iowa Environmental Mesonet, Iowa Falls received 4.98” of rain, and Webster City received 4.40” of rain during this time period. There was some significant ponding of water in areas and lowland flooding along several river/creek systems. Unfortunately, we have also had substantial erosion on tilled, bare soils. I would not be surprised to see some replanting due to these factors once conditions are fit. Needless to say, not much planting progress was accomplished this past 10 days. Over the course of the past two weeks, I have had several significant black cutworm moth captures at my Hamilton County site and my Story County Site and one significant capture of true armyworm moths. You can see the capture data at 2025 Moth Trapping Network Update 2. ISU is currently summarizing data to predict cutting dates but given the fact we put out traps nearly 10 days later than usual this year, it is possible we had more moth flights earlier. At the time I am writing this, we have been cool so larvae and corn development have been slowed. I would suggest if you have earlier emerging corn and soybeans to scout field edges and along waterways and in particular fields with a green, growing cover crop. Just because we have been catching moths, does not mean we will experience crop injury. Stay tuned for more details. I can also say I have noted more grubs in crop fields this year and have had two inquiries about grubs. Grub management includes identifying species as not all are pests to corn and beans, but true white grubs can be pests. If the crop is already planted, there are no management strategies available for control. Fields should be scouted prior to planting to identify the species and to make control decisions. If the crop is already planted, conduct stand counts and take time to observe why there might be stunted, wilted or missing plants.”
Josh Michel (Region 5):
Allamakee, Buchanan, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Jones, Linn, Winneshiek counties
“Field operations and planting came to a halt last week after most of the region received anywhere from 1.5 up to 3.5” of rainfall over the past seven days. This brings the total precipitation to over 5” in some areas over the past two weeks. Not surprisingly, the cold rain has kept soil temperatures hovering in the low 50’s. Last week the US Drought Monitor showed a 1-class improvement for most of the region. This essentially removed most of the D1 Moderate drought, except for an area around Waterloo and eastern Dubuque and Jackson counties. The challenge for producers now will be patiently waiting until field conditions are dry enough to resume planting. An estimated 60-65% of the oats have been planted, with 25-30% emerged. An estimated 10-15% of the corn has been planted, while soybeans are at 5-10%. Alfalfa fields and pastures continue slowly greening up but look good so far. The majority of field calls over the past week have centered around cover crop termination, soil fertility, and pasture weed identification and management.”
Meaghan Anderson (Region 7):
Boone, Dallas, Jasper, Madison, Marshall, Polk, Story, Tama, Warren counties
“Central Iowa had a slower week of activity last week due to the rain. Rainfall varied from about 0.25” to just over 5” across central Iowa. Early planted corn and soybean are beginning to emerge in some fields. With warmer temperatures in the forecast for this coming weekend and early next week, it will be a good time to scout those emerged fields to check on the evenness of stands and look for any problems with emergence. With the consistent rainfalls, some soybean fields may exhibit injury from washing of preemergence herbicides onto the hypocotyls or cotyledons; this injury may cause slight stand reductions but is only severe enough to warrant management in very rare cases. Central Iowa has seen some significant flights of black cutworm and some large flights of true armyworm as well, so farmers should prioritize scouting fields that had green cover this spring in just a couple short weeks. I found my first waterhemp emerged on April 28, so keeping ahead of weeds should remain a priority as well. Most phone calls in the last week have been about fertility questions, pastures, and weed management.”
Rebecca Vittetoe (Region 8):
Iowa, Jefferson, Keokuk, Poweshiek, Washington, Johnson counties
"The rain on Easter Sunday, along with scattered showers throughout the week, brought most field activity in my region to a halt. Rainfall totals ranged from 1.7 to over 2.5” from April 21 through April 28. Some of the earliest planted corn and soybean fields have begun to emerge. Be sure to evaluate corn and soybean stands as they emerge to identify any potential issues and check for evenness. Summer annual weeds are starting to emerge, especially in fields that have not yet been sprayed. Additionally, winter annuals like pennycress and henbit are now flowering. Pastures and hayfields are looking good and getting some decent growth on them. In alfalfa fields I’ve scouted, alfalfa weevil larvae are present, but so far nothing like what we experienced last spring. Do take time to scout your alfalfa fields, as each field is different. As fields dry out, I’m expecting to see quite a bit a field activity and planting here this week”
Virgil Schmitt (Region 9):
Cedar, Clinton, Des Moines, Henry, Jackson, Lee, Louisa, Muscatine, Scott counties
“Most of the area I cover received between 1.0 and 2.5” of rain. About half of that came on Monday, April 21 and the rest was scattered showers without much precipitation in any of them. In general, there was little field work during the last week until Friday, April 25. People hit the fields hard on Friday and over the weekend. I would guess that about third to half of the corn is planted and 25 – 30% of the soybeans are planted. Hay and pastures look good. Bluegrass is heading out. The black cutworm and true armyworm sites I have been monitoring have been fairly quiet. Calls last week mostly revolved around weed management and improving hay stands.”
Aaron Saeugling (Region 10):
Adair, Adams, Cass, Clarke, Decatur, East Pottawattamie, Fremont, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Ringgold, Taylor, Union, West Pottawattamie counties
“Last week we experienced mild weather to start the week with significant planting progress being made. Estimates for corn and soybeans vary based on soil conditions, but we are somewhere in the range of 30 to 40% planted on corn and possibly 20 to 30% on soybeans. Mid-week last week we had rainfall and cloudy conditions, which resulted in not much activity late in the week. Some significant rain occurred, and erosion will be an issue in those areas. Alfalfa has finally started getting some spring growth along with pastures. Winter cereal rye and wheat look exceptionally good compared to previous years. I expect a good week for planting progress after Monday’s weather event. Heavy black cutworm moth counts have been observed, so plan on scouting fields as they begin to emerge.”
Logan McCrea (Region 11):
Appanoose, Davis, Lucas, Mahaska, Marion, Monroe, Van Buren, Wapello, Wayne counties
“Not much activity in region 11 the past week or so, with precipitation totals ranging from 1 – 2” since Easter Sunday, keeping things damp enough to prevent field operations from going full speed. A few herbicide applications may have been occurring over the weekend, but it was not very widespread. Early planted corn and soybeans are beginning to emerge or have emerged, with the stands looking good thus far. Many of the common winter annual weeds are blooming. Forages continue to green up well with the moisture and warmer temperatures that we had. Continue scouting your alfalfa fields for alfalfa weevil as we move forward in the next few weeks and keep an eye out for any corn/soybean seedling disease issues that may have occurred from cooler, wetter weather planting conditions. Alison Robertson wrote a good ICM Blog with scouting tips for seeding disease.”
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- Field Agronomist in EC/SE Iowa