Crop conditions showed an improvement in the western corn belt last week with weekend rains. Iowa’s soybean crop is rated 78-percent good to excellent, with 78-percent of the crop blooming. Corn is rated 83-percent good to excellent and 83-percent of the crop is silking, slightly ahead of average. Rock Rapids, Iowa farmer Dean Meyer says his stands and early season crop growth is better than a year ago so he’s optimistic about yield potential on soybeans and even more on the corn.

In fact, despite the wet areas of Iowa, he is anticipating some bumper crops this fall across the state.

Meyer says the jury is still out yet on whether Iowa will set any records or not the western corn belt’s higher yields can make up for the eastern corn belt.