Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties

Subsoil moisture levels improved for 2021 crop production

Iowa State University has completed its spring survey of subsoil moisture in northwest Iowa.

The amount of subsoil moisture is sampled in the fall and spring in six northwest Iowa counties. Soil moisture is sampled to a depth of five feet in one-foot increments at six different pre-determined locations. The soil moisture samples are weighed wet, dried for 48 hours and weighed dry. Then soil moisture is reported in inches of plant available moisture after calculations account for plant available and plant unavailable moisture.

The amount of subsoil moisture is well below the spring average in e...