The planting season continues to charge ahead. The weekly crop report from the U-S Department of Agriculture shows 91 percent of the corn planting is done — up from 78 percent last week. The report says  71 percent of the soybeans were in the ground — an increase from 46 percent the week before. Iowa State University Extension Field Agronomist Paul Kassel says it’s been decades since farmers have the conditions to be able to work at this pace.

The corn planting progress is now almost one month ahead of last year and two weeks ahead of the five-year average. Less than five percent of the crop remains to be planted in the northwest and north-central Iowa.  The soybean planting is also one full month ahead of last year and more than two weeks ahead of the average.