After a slow and uneven start to planting season this spring, Iowa farmers have made up significant ground over the past few weeks. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says favorable planting windows recently allowed farmers to move quickly and bring statewide progress closer to the average pace.
Naig says this spring once again highlighted just how variable weather conditions can be across Iowa, with some areas staying dry while others dealt with excess moisture.
While recent rains helped improve conditions in some areas, Naig says the weather pattern over the past few days also brought thunderstorms, hail, strong winds, and isolated tornado activity to parts of the state. He says there have been reports of damage to farms, communities, and some agricultural facilities.
Naig says one small advantage of the slower planting pace earlier this spring is that most crops are still in early development stages, which may help limit widespread crop damage from recent hail events.
Naig says there are still some areas of Iowa with planting left to finish, but overall, many farmers were able to take advantage of narrow weather windows to make substantial progress heading toward June.
