Keokuk, IA – The recent shift in weather, from cold to warm and back to cold, is leading to some anxious moments for local farmers. Lee County Extension Director Bob Dodds says the soil is still not warm enough for corn planting, which would normally get underway any day now. Despite the early delay, he says one positive, from the weather, has been the amount of rain Southeast Iowa has received. Dodds says the dry conditions did not stop Lee County from having a good year, last year, with better than average crop yields, and solid prices. He says soybeans are planted later in the season, so the recent weather will not affect that process, as much as it will corn planting.
You can hear more with Bob Dodds by clicking the audio link above.
Additional Information
* Dodds says the ideal soil temperature for planting is 50-55 degrees.
* He says about 80,000 acres of corn and 75,000 acres of soybeans were raised in Lee County last year.