IOWA, USA — The calendar has finally flipped to May, but it hasn't felt anything like what one of the nicest months of the year should feel like.
Soil temperatures are still in the upper 40s to around 50 across much of the state, which is close enough for some planting.
Carlisle sweet corn farmer Mike Penick has planted some, but it's a significant minority. He's not worried yet, but the clock is ticking.
"If we can't get in the field next week and if we get another couple weeks not getting seeds into the ground, it's going to start to affect the yields quite a bit," Penick told Local 5.
Last year's yields were some of the best Penick and other Iowa farmers have ever seen; with just enough rain to get the crops going throughout the year.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says we have some ground to make up.
"We're behind where we were last year in terms of planting progress. We're behind the five year average as well. There's a lot of folks that are anxious to get in the field," Naig said.
Penick says his ideal weather right now is just about what everyone else wants after a dull and dreary start to spring.
"Sun. Lots of Sunshine. 75 or 80 degrees with no wind," Penick emphatically added.
Next weekend may very well start that much-improved weather pattern trend.