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 Kossuth County Farm Bureau Board. Nancy Bohl Bormann is a manure and nutrient management researcher at the University of Minnesota. She received her bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University, master’s from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and doctorate at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Her main research project is development and implementation of a nationwide manure test database called ManureDB.

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 planted by the end of week … we’ll see. It’s really dusty. Heavily tilled fields are blowing bad. These farmers need to step up their game on sustainability.

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, but I usually wait till it’s taller, about a foot to kneecap tall. Rye dies easy when you get two days of consistent temps of 75 and above.

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.

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. The field that I plant where I did everything wrong, rushed and didn’t care looks the best!

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 amount of money spent on tillage or the latest planter gadgets.

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.

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.

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.

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

We received 0.8 of an inch of rain for the week. We need rain. Corn is really taking off. Soybean post spraying is complete. The Liberty and Enlist combination worked really well post on beans. Pest-wise, I’m not seeing much.

We received 0.1 of an inch of rain for the week. We could use more rain. The crops everywhere around me look great! The odd thing about this year is that we haven’t had any pond-filling, gully-washing rain events where crop literally drowns out. If we can make it till harvest at this pace, it will be the first time in my career on a few outlying farms that I get crop on 100% of the acres.

Had a wonderful 4th of July! We received 2 inches of rain for the week. I did find some rootworm feeding on a farm. I haven’t had too much of an issue over the years, but this year on that farm there will be some yield loss.

No rain for this past week. Big thing for our farm is the purchase of a new drone to spray fungicide and the learning process and certifications that go with it. Watching the confidence of my sons and nephews ranging from 12-18 years old teach dads 46 and 47 technology is amazing. But then watching the dads teach the boys obvious tips about how sprayers actually work and basically everything non-tech-related is priceless. We’re gonna make a great team!

Hot and no rain this week, but not much heat stress is showing. Beans are starting to pod. Corn is at full tassel.

No rain this past week. We need rain. Finished hauling in the bin bottoms of 2025 corn. Helping kids finish up 4-H projects for our county fair. Planning to start working on combine heads this week.

We received 0.75 of an inch of rain this week. I’m one of three farmers who formed a nonpartisan group called the Lobe Rangers. We’ve used cover crops, strip-tillage and in-season nitrogen on their Des Moines Lobe operations for more than a decade. Our first field day July 25 went well. We had a vast array of people who showed up to learn about farmer involvement in water quality. Water quality and overall quality of life in Iowa are two of the biggest issues in the governor’s race.

Rain was light again this week — half an inch across the area. Crops still need more moisture. Kossuth County Fair was in full swing, with my kids showing the reserve and grand champion market broilers. We also made it over to Albert City for the Old Threshermen’s Reunion. Always fun to see farming’s roots. Lobe Rangers held a panel discussion with Gold Eagle Cooperative at the Iowa State University research farm in Kanawha, continuing conversations around soil and water conservation. Overall, a busy week balancing family, fair and farm.

This week brought rain totaling 2 inches, which helped keep crops moving forward as we head into late summer. Corn looks really good overall, but some hybrids are showing tip back, which I believe is due to the hot weather we experienced during pollination. As a Lobe Ranger, we were invited by Jason Walsmith of the rock band the Nadas to speak at the Okoboji Clean Water Jam on a panel discussion about water quality practices and how farmers are going to be the ones that lead the water quality discussion in Iowa. On the farm side, it has been a week of bookkeeping, fertilizer planning, mowing, and getting machinery ready for fall. As a personal reflection for the last several weeks, balancing family and farm means being intentional about where my energy goes.

It was a great week to get some forward grain sales in corn and soybeans at favorable market prices. Some early-planted, early-maturing soybeans are starting to turn. Had the best Iowa State Fair experience with my wife and kids that I have ever had. Spent time planning out cover crops for the fall and going over soil tests. Lobe Rangers had the opportunity to be featured on Talk of Iowa with Charity Nebbe, an Iowa Public Radio program that reaches a wide audience. As a personal reflection, pick up the phone for important conversations instead of text messaging or email — you can actually hear someone and clear things up on the spot.

It was another great week to forward-sell grain at favorable market prices. Early-planted corn hybrids are starting to turn. We have all our cover crops buttoned down and ready to spread over the next several weeks. Trying three different cover crop options across our fields — winter wheat, rye and oats. Finished up getting the combine and harvest equipment ready, which will position us well for harvest. On the Lobe Rangers side, we have several water quality conversations and media interviews coming out in the next several weeks.

It was a solid week on the farm with six-tenths of an inch of rain. We finished up working on all the harvest equipment, and we’re ready to rock for fall. We’ve also moved forward on grain marketing with more corn and soybeans sold at favorable prices. Locked in our nitrogen and fertilizer prices and started spreading winter wheat as a cover crop with a plane. We’ve got exciting media opportunities that’ll be coming out in the next few weeks on the Lobe Rangers side.

It was a great week on the farm with soybeans maturing slower than last year, and we're estimating we're still two to three weeks out before harvest begins. We also had the opportunity to do an Iowa Press interview this week with Lobe Rangers, sharing our conservation work. This Monday night on the 14th we'll be on a panel discussion with Des Moines Waterworks and Iowa Environmental Council. It's shaping up to be an important week ahead.

For the week we got an inch of rain. The winter wheat cover crop that was seeded aerially into corn three weeks ago is growing great thanks to the rain and heat. The Lobe Rangers presented at the Iowa Tap Room in Des Moines to over 300 people. The public really cares about its water and its farmers, but they want more accountability. We also presented at the Water Quality Conference in Okoboji to water-related professionals across Iowa.

We got eight-tenths of an inch of rain this week. The equipment is ready to roll as soon as we get some dry weather. We have soybeans ready to combine. My focus right now is being present with my family — my wife and kids — before harvest takes over.