Iowa’s state climatologist says recent rains came at the right time.
“To bank some soil moisture right now with the heavier amounts we saw across the state, it’s excellent news,” said Dr. Justin Glisan with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
Glisan says precipitation deficits were beginning to add up, but a recent low-pressure system changed the outlook.
“Central to south-central Iowa had anywhere from 2-4 inches of rainfall. More broadly across the state there was measurable rainfall. This is after basically 18 pretty dry days for May.”
He tells Brownfield farmers made rapid planting progress at the beginning of the month and the crops have now received the moisture they needed.
“Overall, conditions came together. Even with a wet few days in April, May was an excellent window to get planted.”
Glisan says the short-term forecast shows some elevated chances of precipitation across the state.
