June 18, 2008

Iowa floods damage 1.3 million corn acres, 2 million acres of soy

Floods in Iowa may have destroyed nearly 1.3 million acres of corn and 2 million acres of soy, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation said Tuesday (June 17, 2008).

According to the USDA, Iowa was expected to plant a total of 13.2 million acres of corn and 9.8 million acres of soy in 2008.

"Iowa has 25 million tillable acres, but 16 percent of it is underwater right now," Dave Miller, IFBF director of research and commodity services, said in a press release.

Most of the state's corn and soy crops had already been planted when the flooding occurred.

"Farmers have already put a lot of resources into a crop that is now underwater," Miller said.

At this point, farmers are waiting for flood waters to recede before fully assessing the damage and deciding whether to replant.

Once flood waters recede, it can take seven to 10 drying days before farmers will be able to replant. If replanting is an option, farmers can plant a fast-maturing, short-season corn as late as June 25 or 26, Miller said. Soy can be planted as late as July 2.

However, late planting would expose the crop to frost and other crop problems.

Iowa is the top corn and soy producer in the US.