Northwestern Iowa has been missed by much of the recent rainfall and some counties have received less than 5 inches of rain since April 1. Corn and soybean plants are showing drought stress, especially in Woodbury, Plymouth, Cherokee, and parts of Sioux and O'Brien counties. In other areas, up to 6 inches of rain was reported during last evenings' thunderstorms.
Crops generally look good.
Corn is tasseled, except for in the northeastern counties where some corn is very uneven and growth stage is V11 to V12. Most of the field specialists reported a few fields with uneven stands or stunted corn plants. Other reasons for stunting cannot be pinpointed and more samples are being tested to help determine the cause of the problem. Few European corn borer and some flea beetle sightings were reported. Diseases showing up in corn include common rust, eyespot, Stewart's disease, and anthracnose.