It's been a pretty challenging summer, with most of the state fighting serious drought, storm damage in many areas, and some regions even dealing with excess moisture.

Even with all these challenges, as I write this in mid-July, the latest USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service report shows two-thirds of Iowa's soybeans in good to excellent condition. Sure, any government report is open to debate, but there are some decent-looking beans out there. We can't do much to manage the weather over the next few months, but we can keep a good eye on our fields with some scouting, which may help head off a few issues.