The most days suitable for fieldwork for Iowa’s farmers this season were found last week with six. According to the USDA, many are now in need of rain to help crops. In southeast Iowa 11% of corn is silking, behind the five-year average of 40%. For soybeans the five-year average is to have 52% blooming by now and in southeast Iowa only 12% are blooming.

Field agronomist Rebecca Vittetoe says the Risk Management Association with the USDA did alter rules for this growing season to help farmers, “In the past it used to be that if you planted a cover crop on preventive plant acres, you were not allowed to hay it or graze it until after November 1st if you wanted your full coverage for what you would get for preventive planting. This year they did come out and they did change that, part of that was with the wet spring and other things going on. But they have changed that and now it is you can use, if you plant a cover crop you can hay it or graze it after September 1st, and they also added in that silage, haylage, and baleage will also be treated the same as haying and grazing for this year only.”

Iowa’s corn is currently rated 10% excellent, 52% good, 28% fair, and 10% poor to very poor. Soybeans are rated at 9% excellent, 54% good, 30% fair, and 7% poor to very poor.