(Radio Iowa) – A very rainy May set Iowa farmers back on planting, and all that moisture also put crops at risk. Pools of standing water can still be found in low areas of fields throughout the state, leaving nearly a quarter of Iowa’s farmland topsoil holding surplus moisture. Besides keeping farmers from finishing their planting, U-S-D-A Midwest Climate Hub director Dennis Todey says the standing water could hurt already-planted crops down the line, if it dries out.

Todey asks, “Will root development be appropriate so that if we turn drier in the summer that can we still get at moisture that’s in the soil?” Todey says he has several concerns for planted crops in areas where there’s still standing water.

“The concern always at this point is, one: yield, can we get it along enough in the season to get a yield,” he asks, “and then two: will it get to mature in time before the fall freeze?” June is typically Iowa’s wettest month, and current climate projections show more rain is likely, with drier conditions possible by the middle of the month.