by Kris Kohl, Ag Engineering Specialist
The prospects for a good crop in 2022 are much better than last year. The late rains after the crop matured have filled the crop available moisture to above normal with some tile flow in the eastern counties. Tile drainage only removes the excess water that drowns the crop, so when the tiles begin to flow, the profile is full. This is very welcome news after starting off last year with very little subsoil moisture. A full profile will provide 12 inches of the 22 to 25 inches needed for a full corn crop.
Input cost will be high in 2022 for fertilizer, so utilizing manure from livestock farms will pay dividends for those with access to it. When conditions are good for dry, firm soils, spring applied manure will outperform fall manure by about 10 percent. Farmers will want to apply some to every corn acre that they can to reduce commercial fertilizer costs this spring. Spring applications will also provide more margin for this summer to prevent the need for early application before harvest. An integrated livestock and crop farm will have an advantage over those who have to buy commercial fertilizer.
Farmers should plan for average to above average crop yields this year because of the good subsoil moisture and the prospect of planting the crop on time. In my over 30 years with ISU Extension and Outreach, there has not been a below average year when we started out with optimal conditions. While we still will need timely rains, we have half of what we need in the soil bank already. While there are a lot of concerns in the world, Northwest Iowa should be the sunny spot where life is the best.