Spring Weather has produced "historic delays" in planting

As Iowa's Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig gets to see first hand the condition of crops as he travels to every corner of the state.  

Naig told a Decorah audience on Thursday that he feels there's been "tremendous progress in the last 10 days."  The latest USDA crop report says 93 percent of corn fields have been planted now and 70 percent of soybean fields.  But Naig says several areas of the state are "pretty rough."  Those include areas along the Missouri River in western Iowa, where, Naig says, "it's hard to get recovery when you still have water coming in."

Naig says corn planting has averaged 21 days later than normal this spring, while soybean planting has averaged 17 days later than normal.

He concludes by says Iowa's rainy spring "has presented a lot of challenges from a weather standpoint."