Chilly soil temperatures kept planters in the shed across most of Iowa last week, and farmers aren’t expecting a lot of movement until a warming trend arrives, even as the April 11 crop insurance planting date passes.

"The cold little rains we’ve been having have been bringing soil temperatures down," said Angie Reick-Hinz, an Iowa State University Extension field agronomist covering north-central Iowa. "In my nine-county area, soil...