Regional Crop Update June 8 - June 16, 2026

The storms that rolled across the state last week also brought along with them heavy rain, wind, and even some hail. While most areas did receive some rainfall, parts of northwest Iowa missed out and the drier conditions are starting to show. Weeds continue to be the biggest challenge across the state as many are struggling to get their postemergence herbicide applications made with the wet field conditions. Read on for more specifics on what’s happening around the state.

Leah Ten Napel (Region 1)

Cherokee, Ida, Lyon, Monona, O'Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sioux, Woodbury counties

“Corn and soybeans are progressing nicely. Many bean fields were sprayed with herbicide last week or are being sprayed this week. Corn is canopied and looking healthy. Cooler temperatures are helping, but areas are getting dry. A timely rain would be very helpful for chemical residuals and new growth. Insect and disease pest issues are low at this point in the growing season.”

 Terry Basol (Region 4)

Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Butler, Chickasaw, Floyd, Grundy, Howard, Mitchell counties 

“Corn and soybeans continue to look really good in north-central and northeast Iowa. Corn ranges from V4–V7 for most of the acres, and soybeans range from V3–V5. Farmers are wrapping up nitrogen sidedress operations for corn as well as getting the postemergence herbicide applications completed. Canopy closure has begun on the early planted fields. The corn that is the most mature has really taken off, looking nice and dark green, as the nodal root system has transitioned to the primary root system of the corn plant for uptake of water, nitrogen, and other nutrients. Due to conducive growing conditions, some corn fields are exhibiting rapid growth syndrome. For many of the soybean acres in the area, the first applications of postemergence herbicides have been conducted in the area. Oats are also looking good and are currently starting the milk stage of growth at the Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm near Nashua. We had some strong storms go through the area on Thursday (June 11) last week, in which there were a couple isolated reports of hail in Butler and Floyd counties and strong winds causing tree damage. As far as precipitation for the last couple of weeks, according to the Iowa Mesonet, the Northeast Research Farm received 1.06 inches of rain from June 1 through June 15. For the area, rainfall amounts range from about an inch to over 5 inches (Mitchell County) since June 1.” 

Josh Michel (Region 5)

Allamakee, Buchanan, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Jones, Linn, Winneshiek counties

“Severe weather last week delivered heavy rainfall across the region, and unfortunately, some isolated areas experienced strong winds that caused some corn to lean and lodging in oat fields. Thankfully, most of the corn should quickly recover without much incident. In general, areas along the Minnesota border received 2.0 to 2.5 inches of rainfall, while areas further south from Cedar Rapids towards Dubuque received 4.0 to 4.5 inches of rainfall. Weed management continues to be a major concern as waterhemp and other weeds are growing very rapidly, and post applications have not been very timely due to less-than-ideal weather and field conditions. In general, most of the corn is around V4–V6, while soybeans are at V2–V4. Oats continue to look good so far, with most fields headed out. Alfalfa regrowth continues to look good after first cutting, with minimal reports of any insect pressure. Pastures also continue to look fair to good, with some cool-season grasses beginning to show signs of summer dormancy. The majority of field calls over the past week have centered around weed management, as well as herbicide drift and injury.”

Rebecca Vittetoe (Region 8)

Iowa, Jefferson, Keokuk, Poweshiek, Washington, Johnson counties 

“We went from starting to be a little dry to being pretty wet very quickly last week. Rainfall totals ranged from 1.5” to 6.5” with some isolated areas receiving heavier amounts. With the rain, we also had some severe weather and stronger winds. There were a lot of leaning cornfields last week that have since stood back up. With the leaning corn, there were some fields that also experienced some greensnap as well. Corn ranges from V6–V10 and soybeans range from V3–V6. I've heard reports of soybeans starting to flower. The wet conditions last week made it challenging to wrap-up postemergence herbicide applications on corn. For the fields left to be sprayed, double check crop growth stages as many fields are getting to be off-label or would now require drop nozzles. Once fields dry out, there will be a lot of soybeans that need to be sprayed. The weeds are coming on strong and some are getting a decent size to them. I’ve had a few reports of thistle caterpillars and also saw my first few Japanese beetles in soybeans. Questions this last week have been on greensnap and leaning corn, weed management, and herbicide drift and injury.” 

Virgil Schmitt (Region 9)

Cedar, Clinton, Des Moines, Henry, Jackson, Lee, Louisa, Muscatine, Scott counties
 

“During the last week, the counties I cover have generally received three to six inches of rain, with heavier amounts locally. Part of Lee County received 2 to 3 inches of rain. There was wind damage to both corn and soybeans in some areas and low-land flooding and ponding. Most corn fields are V8–V10 and look good except for weather damage in some areas. Most soybeans are mostly V4–V6 and look good except for weather damage in some areas. Short season cereal rye is turning color or has already turned color. Oats continue to look good, too. Forages also are doing well. Calls last week mostly centered around weed management in soybeans.

 Aaron Saeugling (Region 10)

Adair, Adams, Cass, Clarke, Decatur, East Pottawattamie, Fremont, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Ringgold, Taylor, Union, West Pottawattamie counties 

“Mother Nature is not playing nice in a large portion of southwest Iowa. Late last week, strong winds, heavy rains, and isolated hail damage occurred along Highway 30 and Highway 2. The hardest hit areas are around Villisca and Corning. Large acres of corn were laid over but have since straightened up with warm temperatures over the weekend. Be diligent in scouting these fields the rest of the season, looking for stalk rot and foliar disease development. In most cases, it is too late to replant corn, but check with your crop insurance provider first. Most corn is in the V8–V10 stage and hopefully herbicides have been applied. Spraying on big corn with frequent storms is asking for trouble. Soybeans are the most concerning right now. Stands are hurt and replanting decisions are being made on an hourly basis. Severe bruising of stems and plants occurred with this storm. Key questions are to ask: Can I live with this stand? What will my late season weed control be like? Can I fill in the bad areas?  Did I take an accurate stand count? These are difficult decisions to make. For more information, see the ISU publication IPM 0079 “Hail on Soybean in Iowa”. On a positive note, pasture conditions are good. The heavy rain did fill some ponds that were dry or shallow the past few summers. Be on the lookout for pink eye in cattle with the rapid weed and cool season grass growth. Alfalfa cutting is getting close to second cutting for those who cut in mid-May.” 

Logan McCrea (Region 11)

Appanoose, Davis, Lucas, Mahaska, Marion, Monroe, Van Buren, Wapello, Wayne counties

“Mother nature has not been kind to south-central Iowa since the month turned to June, and the past week was not much different. The great white combine made an appearance last Thursday, along with exceptional amounts of rainfall and some strong winds. Hail reports have come from Wayne, Lucas, Monroe, Marion, and Mahaska counties. Hail damage varies with some fields just having tattered leaves to other fields with more severe levels of injury. Precipitation amounts in the past two weeks range from 3 to 13 inches, with the highest amounts occurring along the highway 34 corridor between Chariton and Albia. A blog post was created that addresses many of the different weather challenges that we have faced (hail, flooding, and wind). Aside from the weather, corn stages range from V5–V10 while soybeans are V3–V6 and are beginning to put some size on finally. Weeds are thriving everywhere that you can think of and will be a challenge to manage over the coming weeks with the cool, wet weather forecasted. Forages are looking tremendous given all of the precipitation we have received, and likely will continue to thrive with the current forecast.”