This will be the last issue of the E-Crop Update for SE Iowa. My ISU Extension duties have now changed. I will now cover the subject matter area of Farm and Ag. Business Management. My work area will include 23 counties in the SE portion of Iowa with my office remaining in Henry County. The crop production duties that I previously had have been divided between Virgil Schmitt, Jim Fawcett, and Mark Carlton. They have their own e-mail update that they send out so you will need to transfer to one of their mailing list. The following is a breakdown of how my previous crop responsibilities by county have been reassigned:

Virgil Schmitt will now handle the following counties:
Jackson
Clinton
Cedar
Scott
Muscatine
*Louisa
*DesMoines
*Henry

Jim Fawcett will now handle the following counties:
Tama
Benton
Linn
Jones
Johnson
Iowa
Poweshiek
*Keokuk
*Washington

Jim Fawcett, Ph.D.
Extension Field Specialist - Crops
3279 7th Ave Suite 140
Marion, IA 52302-3731
(319) 377-9839
FAX (319) 377-0475
email: fawcett@iastate.edu

Mark Carlton will now handle the following counties:
Marion
Mahaska
Lucas
Monroe
Wapello
Wayne
Appanoose
Davis
*Jefferson
*Van Buren
*Lee

Mark Carlton
107 E. Benton
Albia, Iowa 52531
641-932-5612-Phone
641-932-5662-Fax
mcarltn@iastate.edu

*indicates counties that Jim Jensen formally covered for crop production activities

Please determine which crop production specialist is now covering your county and send them an e-mail asking to be added to their e-mail newsletter list.

In this issue

• Weather update
• Subsoil Moisture
• Marketing

Weather

The temperature has been cooler than normal the first part of April and winds have been strong. Average soil temperatures at 4" at the SE Research Farm are 50 degrees. Precipitation for April to date at the Research Farm has been 1.62 inches. As soon as the ground is fit, it is time to start hitting the fields with the planters. The key word is start, not finish planting. There is still time to get in your oats and seedings if you have not yet done so.

Subsoil Moisture

We appear to have a good supply of subsoil moisture in SE as we enter the 2002 crop season. Readings taken last November showed good levels (3/4 of profile full) and we received good fall rains after the Nov. 1st readings were taken. Samples taken on April 1st look like the soil profile is fully recharged but test results will not be available until sometime next month. Recent rains have taken care of the dry surface conditions and provided some water for creeks and ponds.

Marketing

Don't forget to watch the markets during this busy planting season. Historically, from 1975-2001, the corn market from the  February/April period to late October has declined 82% of the time. The average decline was $0.19/bu. The price for soybeans during the same period declined 70% of the time by an average of $0.30/bu.

DON'T FORGET TO E-MAIL YOUR NEW CROPS SPECIALIST TO GET YOUR NAME ON HIS NEWSLETTER LIST.

I wish you all a good year

Jim Jensen