This information was summarized from a May 18, 1998 teleconference with ISU extension field specialists in crops.

• Corn has emerged and is up to the V3 growth stage (3 leaf collars expanded) in most areas of the state. A few cornfields in south central Iowa are still being planted. Progress in soybean planting ranges from 10 percent completed in Decatur, Clark, and Ringgold counties to over 95 percent completed in the rest of the state. Soybeans are beginning to emerge and John Creswell reported that 60 percent was emerged in central Iowa.
• Several areas of the state had scattered severe weather last Friday. Joel DeJong and Paul Kassel (northwest) had severe winds and rain that caused wind damage to corn in their areas. Jim Jensen (southeast) and Virgil Schmitt (east) reported some tornado activity on Friday evening.
• Several of the field specialists have started to receive drift complaints. Some suspected herbicide damage has been determined to be foliar diseases or winter injury. See Herbicide drift problems must be resolved [1] in the May 26, 1997 ICM, pages 69-70.
• Early postemergent corn herbicide applications have started. Some of the field tillage in wet soils has resulted in the early weeds surviving and new weeds coming up with the crop. Control of large weeds, especially giant ragweed and lambsquarter, are of concern in some fields.
• Alfalfa is in the early-to-late bud stage. Cutting of the first crop has progressed well in central and northeast Iowa. Continued reports of spring black stem indicate that cutting would be beneficial to reduce leaf loss in affected fields.
• Winter wheat in southeast and south central Iowa has begun to head out. There were no reports of fungicide spraying.
• Black cutworm damage was reported in scattered locations around the state. The southwest, west, and south central areas had the most reports. Cutworms ranged from 3/8 to 1 inch long. See Black cutworm cutting forecast [2] in the May 11, 1998 ICM, pages 69-71.