‘I think we've got set up for a really decent crop,' Ideal weather excites Siouxland farmers during the growing season
Cooler temperatures and good rainfall have been a blessing for farmers.
'Our crops are actually doing extremely well in this area, Western Plymouth County,' said Randy Kroksh, a Plymouth County farmer.
'We've dealt with some really difficult growing seasons for the past handful of years, and compared to that, things are looking really nice right now,' said Leah Ten Napel, the Northwest Iowa field agronomist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Program.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, portions of Northwest Iowa are abnormally dry, a significant improvement from the moderate to severe drought conditions from early spring.
'So we've been really spaced out with the rainfall, we haven't had crazy warm conditions for long periods of time, so especially critical right now during pollination. Now we have slightly cooler temperatures so that the crops are not stressed during this time,' said Ten Napel.
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'I mean, the month of June we had over six inches of rain, and right now at this point in July, we're over four inches of rain. Ten inches of rain in six weeks, that's pretty good,' said Kroksh.
On top of cool temps and spaced-out rainfall, insects haven't been a problem for farmers so far this year.
'Right now, those pressures are fairly low, but I still really encourage people to be out in scouting because those can pick up at any time, really,' said Ten Napel.
'Had some aphids, of course, in the alfalfa, so we've had to spray after our first cut in Alfalfa, and I'll spray again here for a second cutting. But as far as corn, we'll be doing some scouting for a gray leaf spot, tar. As soybeans, we're looking for some aphids at this point in time and some spider mites and other stuff like that,' said Kroksh.
While there's still a couple of months until harvest, Kroksh said he's hopeful for a good yield.
'I think we've got set up for a really decent crop, but there's a lot of things that can happen from now until the first of October, so with God by our side and stuff, you know, a little prayer and stuff we'll kind of keep the diseases and insects and that kind of stuff away and hopefully get a decent crop,' said Kroksh.
Randy wants to emphasize that farmers will still need plenty of rain until harvest season for a good yield.
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