Heavy rains across northern Iowa last week turned farm fields into lakes and flooded miles of rural roads.

“If you farm near one of the rivers in northwest Iowa, you’ve probably got some acres that are under water, and if you have flat ground, you probably have some ponds,” said Joel DeJong, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension field agronomist serving far northwest Iowa. “When you have a dozen inches of rain in three days, it’s tough to get it off.”

Lyon County officials at one point last week banned travel county-wide due to bridge damage, washouts and water over the road after 12 inches of rain caused the Rock River to spill out of its banks, causing major flooding in Rock Rapids, Doon and Rock Valley.

“Rock Rapids had the most rain ever for a ...