A thin band of torrential rainfall 3 to 4 miles wide in northwest Iowa recently left standing water covering newly planted and yet-to-be-planted corn and soybean fields.

Similar scenes also played out across Iowa as weeks of spring rains have led to field ponding, with tile lines working overtime to drain the water.

For the first time in more than three years, some Iowa farmers may have to consider replanting options.

“We had that narrow band the other night …, from Paullina and Primghar up to Sanborn …, the farms that were under that caught 2 to 2.5 inches in a very short time,” said O’Brien County Farm Bureau member Kelly Nieuwenhuis, who farms near Primghar.

On one area farm, “there’s a nice grass waterway...