It is officially crunch time for the agricultural crops in the state with both corn and soybeans needing rain to help realize yield potential. The ongoing drought has put much of the crop at the mercy of how much soil moisture reserves existed prior to the growing season and if roots can reach a shallow water table, if it exists. This situation is nicely illustrated by the soil moisture sensor at the ISU AEA Farm just west of Ames. This site saw a big rain event back on 12 July and not too much else besides that event. The immediate shock to the soil moisture values is evident and a good sign that the rain was able to infiltrate. The soil moisture drying since the event is apparent with the 14 inch depth value likely close to wilting (no free soil water). The constant value at 52 inches is likely a sign of the water table being at that depth and you can see how the 42 inch value responded as well with moisture filling that level and then finally being depleted by root activity. This is generally why you can see lush green crops next to grass lawns that are brown, the crops have deeper roots and can reach more water. The good news is that a few very good chances of rain are in the immediate forecast, so we can hope those pan out!

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