Northwest Iowa farmers made steady planting progress last week, even as statewide numbers continue to lag behind the five‑year trend.
That’s according to the latest Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
The report shows 22 percent of Iowa’s corn crop is planted, which is 10 points behind last year, while soybeans are at 11 percent, running 12 points behind 2025. Oat planting reached 74 percent, slightly behind last year as well.
But conditions in northwest Iowa continue to outpace much of the state. Iowa State University Extension field agronomist Gentry Sorenson, who is based in Algona but serves Buena Vista and surrounding counties, says the region is in a stronger position than areas that have been hit with heavier rainfall.
Sorenson says Buena Vista County and nearby areas have seen “quite a bit” of corn planting already, with progress slowing slightly to the east.
Soil temperatures have also been cooperating. The USDA reports 4-inch soil temps ranging from the low 50s in northwest Iowa to the mid‑60s in the southeast. Sorenson says local readings have been holding just above the key 50‑degree threshold needed for planting.
Topsoil moisture statewide is rated 76 percent adequate, with only 2 percent very short. Sorenson says subsoil moisture in northwest Iowa is slightly below long‑term averages but still within a workable range. He samples a site at the Allee Demonstration Farm near Newell.
He notes that farmers rely on both timely rains and subsoil reserves to reach the roughly 20 inches of moisture needed to grow a corn or soybean crop.
As the calendar turns to May, Sorenson says farmers are prioritizing corn first, with soybeans to follow. He’s not concerned about the pace so far, noting that modern equipment allows for rapid progress when weather windows open.
His biggest advice for farmers this week: slow down enough to get the details right.
Statewide, farmers had 4.3 days suitable for fieldwork last week — two more than this time last year. With soil temperatures rising and a cooler, drier pattern expected into early May, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig say farmers will be ready to take advantage of every workable day.
