Wednesday night and Thursday brought heavy rain in central Iowa on the west side of I-35; rain on the east side of I-35 was more moderate.

The rain gauge at our house near Clarion showed 2.8 inches. Ponds are full and water is standing between the rows. It’s commons to see small rivers running across fields. Areas east of I-35 didn’t receive nearly as much rain. A friend told me that their farm near State Center received 0.8 inches of rain. Nearly everybody has finished planting corn or soybeans for the first time. Unfortunately some folks will be re-planting due to flooding or insect feeding.

Corn in central Iowa is growing rapidly. All but the latest plantings are developing permanent roots. Some corn is already about 6- 8 inches tall. Nitrogen loss is a concern to our corn growers. Leaching and denitrification are legitimate concerns. The amount of loss depends on the amount of water moving through the soil and the percent of the nitrogen that’s in the nitrate form. In light of all the rain, I’d expect that some fields will benefit from an application of sidedress nitrogen.

It’s now easy to “row” soybeans in most fields here in central Iowa. In general the bean leaf beetle pressure has been low. The beans are also growing very rapidly. Soon farmers will be applying postemergence herbicides to soybeans.

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