April’s winds might have created a bad hair month for many Iowans, but they’ve been beneficial to the state’s farmers who need the soil to be dry enough to plant their crops.
State Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey says only a handful of producers have had a chance to plant corn, however, because the soil is still too cold for seeds to germinate. He says if the weekend is as warm as the weather forecast suggests, everything will kick into high gear.
“We know there’s a little bit of corn planned, a few acres scattered around, but the planting hasn’t started yet, field work will start pretty heavy putting on fertilizer and getting the ground ready,” he says.
The U.S Department of Agriculture’s weekly crop report released today shows there were only three days suitable for fieldwork last week because of strong winds and heavy rain.
Northey also reminds people that as planting activity picks up, there will be more large and slow-moving farm vehicles on the state’s roads, and that drivers should be both careful and patient.
