Southeast Iowa Crop Conditions

The weather is beginning to feel like fall with day length noticeably less and the temperature beginning to trend lower. I anticipate seeing soybean harvest begin in the next two weeks southeast of Storm Lake.
Crop development continues to progress with vegetative plant matter for both corn and soybeans noticeably losing their green color. Corn is beginning to reach “Black Layer” or physiological maturity in many fields. Soybeans are also nearing fully developed stages. Most soybean fields have yellow beginning to overtake much of the color which will finally turn to brown or tan over the upcoming weeks.
I have been pleasantly surprised by the kernel counts found in many area corn fields. The dry conditions did not seem to impact the plants ability to produce kernels. On the flip side, some farms have shallow kernels which will ultimately impact the total weight at harvest. I have also found plant stand counts to be disappointing in some corn fields. Soybeans were not immune to the dry conditions. The rainfall we hoped for in August were short or generally too late to be much of a benefit to the soybean yield in most cases. Much like last season, the absence of pothole drown out areas will help improve the field average for both crops.