(Radio Iowa) – The U-S-D-A Crop Report says there were less than two suitable days for field work last week due to wet fields. Corn planting advance just eight percent to 47 percent now completed, and the progress is now two days behind last year and the five-year average. Soybean planting progress is now also behind two days as well, with farmers only progressing by five percent for a total crop planted at 30 percent. Iowa State University Extension field agronomist, Angie Rieck-Hinz, says things in her north-central area is one where planting came to halt. “My best guess depending on how much rain we get this week is it’ll be a probably solid seven to 10 days before we’re back in the field to finish planting,” she says. Rieck-Hinz says there’s still time.

“We’re still within that point that we’re not losing a lot of yield potential by planting a little bit later, but that’s all going to depend on how much rain we get this week and even there’s rain in the forecast for next week,” she says. She says farmers don’t like to sit and wait after getting planting started, but that’s going to have to be the case for now.

“Before people get all too worried about losing yield potential I think got some time to get it dried out and get some more crop in the ground,” Rieck-Hinz says. Statewide seven percent of the corn crop that’s in the ground has emerged — which is three days ahead of last year and one day ahead of the average. Four percent of the soybean crop has emerged.