Farmers and crop producers are still running slightly behind in terms of planting corn and soybeans for the year.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, about 65-percent of corn has been planted across the state. That is about four days behind last year. Of that percentage, about 26-percent has emerged. However, Landus Cooperative Field Agronomist Zach Minnihan says Greene County is doing much better than the state average.

“I would say we’re about 95-percent, if not closer to 100-percent with corn crop in the ground. We had a really good stretch there two or three weeks ago now when we had some nice weather. Anymore we can put a corn crop in the ground and bean crop in a ten-day stretch or less than that. It’s amazing how fast a crop can go in.”

As far as soybeans, the USDA reports that Iowa farmers have planted about 33-percent, with about five-percent emerging so far. Minnihan estimates that for Greene County about 50-percent of soybeans have been planted. With possible rainfall coming this weekend, Minnihan doesn’t believe it’ll hamper the rest of the planting season.

“It’s just going to extend guys that still have soybeans to go in. But anywhere where water can kind of sit, if you have a freshly planted field and you’ve got water sitting on it, make sure you keep an eye those spots because we can kind of drown out some young beans trying to poke through the ground, it can be kind of tough on it.”

With planting season being delayed more so this year, Minnihan says as long as warmer temperatures continue and get even hotter, the crops will catch right up to where they were last year.