Wetter, but still dry

The New Year brought with it hopes for wetter conditions in Iowa, and so far, it's delivered.

The latest water summary update by the Iowa DNR reported precipitation totals in January nearly doubled their typical average in the Hawkeye State – 1.82 inches. Still, much of northwest Iowa remains dry, with both Clay and O'Brien counties suffering "severe drought" and "extreme drought" conditions, according to the U.S Drought Monitor.

ISU Extension agronomist Gentry Sorensen, whose territory covers Clay County, said farmers are optimistic 2023 will be wetter than its predecessor. However, snowfall totals won't impact soil the same as rain.

"All moisture helps some, but it takes quite a bit of snowfall to equate to an inch of rainfall," Sorensen said. "We also should consider how much of that snow when it melts is able to infiltrate the soil profile due to the ground being frozen. I am seeing some runoff in some fields due to the ground being frozen at this time."

Subsoil moisture levels in area fields were low last fall when harvest season came to a close. An ISU Extension report noted that in late 2022 moisture levels were 4.08 inches behind average in Clay County and 5.83 behind average in O'Brien County. The numbers followed an extremely dry summer in northwest Iowa that saw drought conditions prolong throughout the year.

Even so, January was the third month in a row of above-normal moisture for Iowa. Sorensen hoped the trend would continue once the ground thaws out and things start heating up.

"Timely rainfall will be needed through the season," he said. "Corn and soybean crops require about 20 inches of moisture from rainfall and subsoil moisture to produce a crop. That number increases to around 25 inches per season when high temperatures and windy conditions are prevalent during the summer."