South Central Iowa

Travis Slusher reports that corn is 100% planted.  Soybean planting is nearly finished in the northern half of his region and about 50% done in the southern half.  South Central Iowa received 2½ to 3 inches of rain last week along with some cool temperatures.  There was isolated frost injury for corn in the northern region, but with warmer temps and more sun, it should grow out of it.  However, Headline® fungicide may need to be applied to those corn acres.  Corn that was planted April 12 is at the V2 stage, and a few of soybeans are at the VE to VC stages.

Northwest Iowa

Bruce Anderson reports that corn planting is done and soybeans are anywhere from 50-75% done.  Weather forecasts show no rain this week, so all soybean acres should be planted by the end of this week or early next week.  Last week’s rain and this week’s sunshine have created ideal conditions.  The sunshine should help some corn green up again.  So far, Bruce hasn’t yet seen any soybean emergence.

North Central Iowa

Tom Larson reports a delay in planting and emergence due to last week’s frost followed by cool, wet weather that slowed down any damage done by the frost.  Some of the earliest planted soybeans were replanted.  Corn stands were reduced, primarily in areas where temperatures dropped below 32 degrees.  With the growing point still below ground, the biggest concern now is whether new growth will be able to push through the dead tissue.  There may also be problems with new tissue that is unable to emerge and becomes bound up inside the dead tissue.  This week will tell the story as to the severity of the tissue.

Central Iowa

Bart Peterson reports that corn is 100% planted and at the VE to V2 stages.  Soybeans are at the VE stage.  North Central Iowa got hit by frost last week; now is good time to check whether your fields are recovering.  About three to five days after a frost event, dig plants and split their stems to make an assessment. Healthy plant stems will have cream to yellow colored tissue above the growing point. Brown discoloration in the tissue about the growing point signifies pathogen invasion and impending plant death.  Be sure to consider all factors carefully before replanting. For more information, check out www.extension.iastate.edu/cropnews.

South Dakota

Bill Eichacker reports that Southwest Minnesota is nearly done with planting both corn and soybeans.  Corn is at VE stage in Southwest Minnesota.  In his South Dakota area, 75% of the corn acres and 20% of soybeans have been planted.  His area received up to four inches of rain over the last two weeks, but warmer and drier weather this week should drastically change crop progress.

East Central Iowa

Brad Beatty reports last week’s weather was cold and wet, with his area receiving up to 3¾ inches of rain.  Corn in his region is 92-94% planted and the soybeans are 65% planted.  Corn is anywhere from VE to V2 stages; very few beans having started to emerge yet.  Now warm weather and heat units are needed to boost plant growth.  This week soybeans are being planted heavy and some farmers are spraying.  The first cutting of hay is taking place.

Southeast Iowa

Wayde McNeil reports that nearly 100% of all corn and soybean acres have been planted.  Corn is at the V1 stage and soybeans are not quite emerging yet.  After last week’s cool, wet conditions, things should green up and emerge this week.  While scouting fields late last week and early this week, he’s seen 30% frost damage to the corn north of Highway 30 and only 5-10% in the acres south of Highway 30.  He’s seeing some indication of wireworms (see right- hand image) in the region. The good news is that although he’s seen wireworms, he has not seen any damage.  The Poncho 250 seed treatment is doing its job!

Wayde reports replanting may need to be done, especially because soybeans are trying to emerge through hard crusted soils.

Replanting will be needed in areas of his corn and soybean fields where water is standing.

Central Iowa

Bob Collins reports it is wet. His area received 3 inches of rain in 24 hours, last Tuesday to Wednesday. Most of the beans are in and all the corn is planted.  Emergence has been good.

Kevin Meyer’s area is also wet. He reports 90% of beans are in and all the corn has been planted. None of the beans have emerged, but the corn emergence looks good. Last week’s frost killed very little corn. Some corn is turning yellow.

Northeastern Iowa

Nick Benson reports that last week’s cold weather prohibited crop growth.  His area didn’t receive as much rain as the rest of the state, but they did receive 2.5 inches Wednesday night. Eighty-five percent of the corn is planted and some got nipped by the frost. About 30-40% of the beans are in the ground. Nick did not have any crusting issues. He’ll give an update on emergence this week since the weather is warmer.

Northern Missouri

Rick Foster reports that his area is extremely wet.  Everything came to a stop in his area, as well. About 93% of the corn is planted.  The wet, cold weather created problems will results in some replanting. A few beans have been planted.  Those that have emerged are looking good.

Minnesota

Jason Obermeyer reports everything came to a halt for a week due to rain. Beans are over 80% planted. Emerged beans have severe damage due to the wide spread frost. All the corn is in and the stands looked good, although some of it suffered frost damage.

Wisconsin

Steve Bailie reports the southern part of the state got 3-4 inches of rain last week. The frost killed very few fields. About 85% of the corn is planted with great emergence, but the there is a lot of yellow corn. Nearly 60% of beans are planted in the state. Some farmers who have had their beans in the ground for 2 weeks are worried about seed rot. Alfalfa looks beautiful in his area. They had great soil conditions for planting and now they just need Mother Nature to play its role.

Central Nebraska

Steve Edwards reports that 100% of the corn has been planted in his area.  Eighty percent of the beans have been planted in the eastern part of his area and about 40% are in on the western part of his area.  Southeast Nebraska farmers have 100% of their soybeans in the ground. They haven’t had any problems with frost, but they did have some crusting issues.

As a kid, I couldn’t wait for the warm spring weather to produce wild asparagus and mushrooms.  I loved trekking through the woods, in search of morels, with my dad.  I also loved traipsing through the road ditches in search of tender, young asparagus.  Most of all, I looked forward to eating my fill of both!

My favorite way to eat morels is dipping them in eggs, rolling them in crushed saltine crackers and frying them in real butter.  If you’re lucky enough to find some yet this spring, a slew of recipe ideas is available at http://thegreatmorel.com/recipes.html.

While this year’s mushroom season is coming to an end, there is still asparagus to be harvested. One of my favorite uses for asparagus is in a casserole with ham and noodles.  This easy-to-make recipe is perfect for a formal Sunday brunch or a casual weeknight supper.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.  Also feel free to share your favorite asparagus recipes with me.  I’d love to try some new ways to fix asparagus – maybe I’ll even find one my kids will eat!

Asparagus and Ham Casserole

Ingredients

1 slice white bread (or ½ c. bread crumbs)

3 3/4 c. uncooked extra broad egg noodles

2 ½ c. sliced asparagus (1 ½”)

¼ c. all purpose flour

½ tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 c. whole milk

1 c. chicken broth (fat free, less sodium)

1 T. butter

¾ c. onion, finely chopped

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 ½ c. cubed ham (1/2” square – about 8 oz)

¼ c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 T. grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place bread into food processor, pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form to measure ½ cup.

Cook pasta in boiling water 7 minutes, omitting salt and fat in water. Add asparagus, cook 1 minute. Drain.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup and level with a knife. Place flour, thyme, salt and pepper into medium bowl. Gradually add milk and broth, stirring with a whisk until well blended.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, sauté 4 minutes. Add milk mixture, cook until thick (about 4 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Combine pasta mixture, milk mixture, ham and parsley in a large bowl, spoon into a 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and cheese.

Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden.