Iowa
Planting progress stalls in Iowa
Don Friedrichsen is typical of many Iowa farmers these days when he discussed planting progress last week.
“We haven’t turned a wheel for two weeks,” says the 2008 Iowa Master Farmer, who farms with family near Holstein.
This was largely the story statewide, as fieldwork activities were limited. Rainfall across the state limited Iowa farmers to just 1.4 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending May 5, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Topsoil moisture condition across the state was rated as:
-
Sixty-five percent adequate
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship reported just 8% of Iowa’s expected corn crop was planted during the week ending May 5, for a total of 47% planted. This meant progress went from ahead of average to lagging two days behind both 2023 and the five-year average, Seven percent of the corn crop has emerged, three days ahead of last year and one day ahead of the average.
Soybean planting progress fell behind the previous year, with 5% of Iowa’s expected soybean crop planted during the week ending May 5, for a total of 30% of the expected soybean crop planted, two days behind last year. Four percent of the soybean crop has emerged.
Progress by area
Friedrichsen’s experience coincides with what Angie Rieck-Hinz is seeing. As of midweek, the Iowa State University Extension field agronomist says farmers had not turned a wheel for the past 12 days in north-central Iowa. Several days will likely pass before field activity resumes.
The good news is in her area, she estimates 75% of the corn is planted, along with 40% of the soybeans. Corn and soybeans that were planted April 15 and earlier have emerged, but they did take three weeks or more to do so.
So far, no major maladies have been reported in Rieck-Hinz’s area, with the exception of a few alfalfa weevil calls in north-central Iowa.
Further east in northern Iowa, Gentry Sorenson reports the same for fieldwork status. As of the middle of last week, the ISU Extension field agronomist reports the area he serves received between 3.5 and 5 inches of rain.
Some had difficulty applying preemergence applications of herbicides, due to high winds when fields were dry at planting [before all of the rainfall]), he says.
Black cutworm trapping is also underway, which has revealed significant moth flights in Hancock and Buena Vista counties.
In the central Iowa region that Meaghan Anderson covers, rain overnight last Monday stalled out any fieldwork that was occurring. The ISU Extension field agronomist estimates 0.5 to 2 inches of rain fell that night. When this is accompanied by more midweek rainfall, most farmers will be out of the field until early this week at the earliest.
“I believe some farmers are getting anxious as we approach that mid-May time frame, where yields start to drop off,” she says.
Meanwhile, “Weeds have taken advantage of the rainfall and are germinating,” she says.
“I’ve seen many of our typical summer annual weeds up already in areas that had yet to be treated with herbicide: waterhemp, foxtails, woolly cupgrass and morning glories,” Anderson says.
She’s also observed some injury from preemergence herbicides on early-planted soybeans. However, she doesn’t know how widespread or problematic it will be. She says it’s the first year in a while when injury potential could occur due to factors such as early planting under dry conditions coupled with rainfall closer to emergence.
Fieldwork also has been limited in the east-central Iowa area that Rebecca Vittetoe covers.
“Some folks did get in the field between rain events, especially in areas that received less rain,” says the ISU Extension field agronomist. “Hopefully, the weather cooperates, and we can get back in the fields soon.”
Farmers in the southeastern Iowa area that Virgil Schmitt, ISU Extension field agronomist, covers have also been at a standstill. This is especially true for those south of Highway 92.
“It will be a while before they get back in the field, so there is some nervousness there,” Schmitt says. “The prevented-plant for crop insurance question is starting to surface.”
However, planting has progressed well in the northern counties Schmitt covers. He reports early planted corn and soybeans are emerging.
“From a pest [weeds, insects, diseases] perspective, my concern is bean leaf beetles on the first emerging soybeans in an area or soybeans located near alfalfa fields,” he says. “Insecticide seed treatments should manage bean leaf beetle well, but the fields still should be monitored.”
More ISU Extension field agronomist observations can be found here.
With the college football season right around the corner, the Iowa State Cyclones will be hoping to have a strong campaign with a new regime coming in. However, a lot of their success might depend on one key player.
Following the departure of Matt Campbell to the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Cyclones saw their roster get completely gutted. Most of their players entered the transfer portal, leaving new head coach Jimmy Rogers with plenty of work to do.
Fortunately, Rogers and the coaching staff were able to get out there and bring in a lot of new players from all over the country. While Iowa State might be lacking star power and aren’t going to be as talented as they were last year, they do have a good amount of depth.
There should be quite a bit of competition for spots in camp, but there are some players who should clearly be starters that transferred in.
Pete Nakos of On3 recently predicted who would be the starting quarterback for every team in the Big 12. Unsurprisingly for the Cyclones, it was Jaylen Raynor who was the choice.
Raynor an Easy Pick
After bringing in the three-year starter from the Arkansas State Red Wolves, Raynor instantly became the favorite to be the starter for the Cyclones in Week 1. Him being predicted as that guy should come as no surprise, and his ability to play against elevated competition on a weekly basis will be key.
There is a lot to like about Raynor’s game, and he could certainly help Iowa State exceed expectations next year.
Last season with the Red Wolves, he totaled 3,361 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, and a 66.5 completion percentage. It was career-highs for him in all three of those categories, showing some nice improvement in his junior season.
As a dual-threat player, he also totaled a career-high in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. The junior recorded 423 yards on the ground to go along with seven rushing scores.
Overall, the numbers for Raynor were really solid, and there is reason to believe he might be even better in his senior season. For the Cyclones, with all of the new players on the roster, there will undoubtedly be some competition for starting spots around the field. However, it should certainly be Raynor who is under center to start.
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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Syringes from injectable weight loss medications are turning up in drug drop-off boxes across eastern Iowa, creating a safety hazard for law enforcement officers who handle the containers.
Sgt. Erich Lear of the Linn County Sheriff’s Office said emptying the drug drop-off box is part of his daily routine — and the box fills fast.
“It’s probably a 30-gallon tote, and I’d say 3 out of the five days of the week it’s completely full,” Lear said.
Needles found mixed in with other medications
Lear said he has noticed over the past five years that people are placing medicine, nasal sprays and syringes in the bin. He said many of the syringes come from people discarding GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy.
“That tote that I pull out — there’s nothing that protects me from needles other than my observation and using gloves when I sort through things,” Lear said.
The Hiawatha Police Department said it is also seeing an increase in improperly discarded syringes.
Where syringes should go
The Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency is the proper disposal site for sharps. The agency said it has seen syringe intake increase by more than a ton in recent years.
“We’re talking about two thousand pounds of sharps and syringes coming in,” said Joe Horaney of the solid waste agency. “Before 2021 we were around 1.9, maybe 2 tons a year — now we are over 3 tons a year.”
Horaney said any Linn County resident can bring syringes to the facility, provided they are contained properly.
“We just ask that you have it in a heavy plastic container — so one of those medically certified red biohazard containers,” Horaney said. “If you don’t have that, it can be a heavy plastic container like an old laundry detergent [bottle].”
A third-party company picks up the sharps from the facility and incinerates them.
Some drop-off programs discontinued
Lear said another reason sharps are appearing at drop-off locations is that some agencies have ended their disposal programs. The Marion Police Department said it stopped offering the service after people continued to place broken glass, liquids and other garbage inside the box.
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While most of the focus for the Iowa State Cyclones will be on the football program for the next couple of months, the basketball program will also be getting set soon for a new campaign. Coming off a strong season, expectations for them will be high.
The 2025-26 season will go down as a memorable one for the Cyclones. This was a team that exceeded most expectations and ended up being one of the best teams in the country.
Iowa State started out the campaign with a 16-0 record, and the group looked like a real contender. While there were some hiccups during a challenging conference schedule, the Cyclones were one of the best teams in the country.
In March Madness, Iowa State was a number two seed, proving to be one of the top eight teams in the country. As they get set for next season, their goal will undoubtedly be to be ranked highly again. However, they may have to prove themselves a bit.
Joe Lunardi of ESPN recently updated his very early bracketology report for the upcoming 2026-27 campaign for the Cyclones. After being a number two seed last year in the NCAA Tournament, he currently has them on the five line.
Iowa State Has Work To Do
While being a five seed in the NCAA Tournament would indicate a Top 25 season for the Cyclones, expectations for the program are higher than that at this point.
Iowa State has become one of the more consistent programs in the country over the last several years, and they will undoubtedly want to take a step forward this coming season.
Due to a lot of production leaving, it is understandable that how they are viewed now could be very different from how they are perceived come March. Due to all of the new players that are coming in, it is going to take time for them to gel.
The Cyclones have a few key returning players led by Killyan Toure, Jamarion Batemon, and Blake Buchanan. Both Toure and Buchanan were starters for the team last season, and that should remain the same this year. However, Batemon also played a significant role coming off the bench, and his scoring ability might put him next to Toure in the starting lineup this coming year.
Overall, while the team did lose a lot of production, they have a good amount of depth with the new players coming in and some key freshmen returning. If things go right and the team gels quickly, they should be better than a five seed.
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