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Crop emergence staggered for northern Iowa farmer

A farmer in northwest Iowa says crop emergence was staggered this year.

Tony Wendler of Armstrong tells Brownfield most of his corn was planted in mid-May.

“Some I got planted came up fairly quick, and another farm that just a few days later, right before the rain, and that thing took an extra probably four days or more (to emerge).”

He speculates the earliest planted corn took advantage of warm soils that cooled off with the rain.

Wendler says the wet pattern did not relent, and he ended up replanting multiple times.

“Got it all planted. I didn’t get out in some of them because I just saw the water coming down, and I did get through them the first time. It wasn’t long after, they’re drowned out more than in normal years. A lot more.”

Wendler tried planting a third time.  He says 60 to 70 percent of those acres were washed out.

Brownfield spoke to Wendler at the 2019 Ag Phd Field Day near Sioux Falls, South Dakota.