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North Central

June 16: We need rain really bad

    Corn has really progressed, but we need rain really bad. We received just 0.1 of an inch for the week.

    Matthew Bormann, North Central Iowa CropWatch

    Matthew Bormann, North Central Iowa CropWatch

      Matthew and Nancy Bormann grow corn and soybeans near Algona, Iowa, in Kossuth County, with their three children, Reece, 15, Quinn, 12, and Greta, 9.

      June 8: Corn honestly looks the nicest it’s ever looked

        We received 0.15 of an inch of rain for the week. Crops are looking better. Corn honestly looks the nicest it’s ever looked.

        June 1: Heat units are making a huge difference

          We received 0.3 of an inch for the week. Heat units are making a huge difference. Crops look way better than last week. Beans are getting over that “Ugly Duckling” stage. On my farm corn is all sprayed post. This week we’ll sidedress the remaining 75% of our in-season nitrogen.

          May 22: Cold and damp this week

            We got 0.2 of an inch of rain Thursday night. Cold and damp this week. We need heat. You know it’s cold when both the crop and the weeds aren’t growing.

            May 18: Many discussions about uneven emergence

              We received 0.3 of an inch of rain last week, with 0.2 of an inch last night Sunday. I’ve heard many discussions this week about uneven emergence in both corn and soybeans, especially soybeans. General consensus is planting date and lack of moisture had the most to do with it and not the amo…

              May 11: Corn is poking through and only looking better

                Beans starting to germinate. Corn is poking through and only looking better. Depending on planting date and field conditions, growers are fighting crusting issues — not on everything. It always amazes me that the farm where I feel like I did everything right ends up being the problem field. …

                May 5: Trying to plant and deal with breakdowns

                  We received 0.4 of an inch of rain April 27. Corn is starting to emerge. We could actually use some more rain. We had a very busy weekend trying to plant and deal with breakdowns.

                  April 27: Many cloudy days, lots of wind and cooler temperatures

                    Last week we received 0.4 of an inch of rain, many cloudy days, lots of wind and cooler temperatures. It made it hard to get anything planted or sprayed. Sunday evening we received 0.3 of an inch of rain. Currently sitting with half of my crops in the ground. Got some cover crop rye to kill,…

                    April 20: We’ve been lucky with weather

                      We’re having fabulous weather up here. We have had planters in the area going all over the place. We’ve been lucky with weather, some rain but not too much, missing big, damaging storms and soaking in the warm days. A little more warmth and fortune on precipitation could help get it all plan…

                      Matthew Bormann, North Central Iowa CropWatch Journal

                      Matthew Bormann, North Central Iowa CropWatch Journal

                        Matthew and Nancy Bormann grow corn and soybeans near Algona, Iowa, in Kossuth County, with their three children, Reece, 15, Quinn, 12, and Greta, 9.

                        Introducing Matthew Bormann

                          Matthew and Nancy Bormann grow corn and soybeans near Algona, Iowa, in Kossuth County, with their three children, Reece, 15, Quinn, 12, and Greta, 9. Matthew is a fifth-generation Iowa farmer, farming since 1999. He is president of Bormann Ag LTD and has had several leadership roles on the K…

                          Wrap-up: Hot finish and dryness took away some yield

                            I spent most of last week planting cover crops. There are about 80 acres left to do. We got about 2 inches of snow Saturday, which resulted in a little snowmobile ride by my son. On Sunday, it’d melted off mostly. Next year, I’m considering using popup fertilizer on planters, and maybe folia…

                            Nov. 3: Cleaning up equipment before winter is a priority

                              I got a lot of book work done in the office last week. It was mostly cloudy, with some rain early last week, which kept the ground wet. I drilled cover crops Sunday and that will continue this week as I hope to finish it in a few days or so. Also getting cereal rye and vetch on corn stalks. …

                              Oct. 27: Corn yields were disappointing even with fungicide

                                We just wrapped up harvest yesterday afternoon, so we started to clean up equipment and will be seeding cover crops this week. For our area, it seemed corn yields were disappointing even with fungicide applied. But soybeans were better than average. This past week, some guys were starting to…

                                Oct. 20: Earlier corn was better than later corn

                                  I’m combining corn today, and we should finish that this week. Earlier corn was better than later corn, particularly where fungicide was not sprayed which led to more southern rust. Not much moisture the past week to measure. I’m drilling for cover crops this week. Idler bearings on a corn h…

                                  Oct. 13: Waiting for calmer days to work on cover crops

                                    We’re doing some more corn harvesting today. We just got beans all finished Saturday. We had some sprinkles the other day, but it stayed rather dry over the last week. The heat we had dried things down. Our corn moisture tested at 14%. A lot of it at elevators is at 12%. Corn is still standi…

                                    Oct. 6: Upper 50s to low 60s for bean yields

                                      We ran hard all week harvesting soybeans. On Thursday, we had a breakdown on the bean head so we’re hoping to get that back in shape quickly. We’re hoping cooler weather will keep beans from drying down more than what they have. We have a few days of soybeans to do, and toward the end of the…

                                      Sept. 29: Looking at getting soybeans hammered out

                                        We have had nice, clear skies and warm days to harvest for the last week on both corn and soybeans. It was dry the past week. I got some parts of bean fields where yields reached only the high 30s, other field sections were about 65 bu./acre. Fixed-up grain cart is helping with efficiency. M…

                                        Sept. 22: Helped haul some 15% test corn

                                          It's a beautiful day. We have rain in the forecast in a few days, but then some dry days forecast that will be good to get out in the fields. We only got a little rain — less than half inch last week, maybe some tomorrow. I might try to get some beans harvested today. I helped haul some 15% …

                                          Sept. 15: A week from maturity on corn

                                            It’s kind of a back-into-fall feeling early today. It’s overcast, still warmer than normal but a good breeze is blowing so not as hot as the past several days. It’s dry. Earlier this season all we did was mow the yard and dump the rain gauge. Now, lawns are brown. Farmers around us have sila…

                                            Sept. 8: No rain, that’s unusual for 2025

                                              This week’s been pretty quiet — no rain, that’s unusual for 2025. We’re mainly getting equipment ready to go to the field and finishing cleaning grain bins. We got up to the Spencer fair this last weekend too. I noticed our corn is ripening really fast. A couple weeks ago it was a quarter to…

                                              Aug. 29: Getting semis ready to go for harvest

                                                This week we worked on finishing up getting semis ready to go for this fall’s harvest. We were also mowing field driveways and on general farm maintenance. I was able to attend two field days this past week and plan to attend Iowa State University’s Northern Research Farm fall field day next…

                                                Aug. 25: Hoping cooler weather stops rust

                                                  We got equipment ready for fall, mainly semis and trailers, checking lights, greasing, etc. We also wrapped up smaller projects around the farm. Looking ahead, we are continuing to get equipment ready for fall. Corn is denting, more rust was found but I’m hoping cooler weather prevents its s…

                                                  Aug. 18: Things are still watered well

                                                    We had rain overnight — probably less than half an inch — plus we got about a half-inch this last week so things are still watered well. Crops are wet right now, so scouting fields for leaf diseases mainly in corn has been delayed. But I peeked at the soybeans last night and they’ve grown wh…

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