Preston Grobe hopes this year’s weather will be favorable for his soybean and corn crops in west central Iowa.
Weather Outlook Genetics, fertility can help drought-proof crop acres BY BETHANY BARATTA
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early three-quarters of Iowa was covered by drought or abnormally dry conditions in 2021. However, Iowa farmers produced a record 621.86 million bushels of soybeans. Many farmers in the state were surprised with their final yields, Preston Grobe included. “We had the best beans farm average-wise we’ve ever had,” says Grobe, an ISA farmer-member near Avoca in west central Iowa. He attributes quality genetics, soil fertility practices and just-in-time rains
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to his soybean crop’s success at 85 bushels per acre. State Climatologist of Iowa Justin Glisan says the state is short on subsoil moisture but faring better than last year at this time. Though some areas of the state saw measurable snow this winter, soils were frozen and didn’t get the water equivalent moisture. December 2020 through February 2021, defined as the meteorological winter, ranked as one of the 16th driest on record. “We have some muddy surfaces due
to the freezing and thawing effects, but generally we’re seeing drier conditions as we approach the growing season,” Glisan says.
Double dip Drought is expected to persist in parts of north central, east central and west central Iowa through June, according to the initial April outlook from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) released on March 17. There’s also an elevated probability of warmer temperatures through June for the entire state of Iowa.
