Northwest Iowa Crop Conditions

The “Derecho” storm that blew through the Midwest last week did not hit this territory. The damage started farther south and east. The maps above show nearly all of Iowa is too dry, especially the west side of the state. The Percent of Normal rainfall map represents the past 60 days. Most of this region has had only about 25% of normal rainfall during that time (about 6 inches of rain short). Rainfall over the past two months was also spotty, some areas are drier than others. The 10 day forecast is warm and dry, but the two week outlook shows potential improvement after 10 days.

Corn is developing ahead of schedule. Silage corn harvest will begin very soon, and I think we will see some corn combined in September. Most corn is now showing some stress along with signs of upcoming maturity. Areas with lighter soils or areas with less rain are showing more stress. Despite the dry weather, yield potential remains decent on
most farms. Full soil moisture this spring and early planting was a huge benefit. Rainfall soon and cooler temps would still help corn yields, but time is running out.

Soybeans can still benefit greatly from rainfall. They are filling pods and making the last new pods on the top nodes. The early planning this year should have set beans up to reach full potential, but this dry August is quickly chipping into that potential. Overall I think beans are going to be average at best in this region.

Grain markets rallied last week and early this week because of Derecho storm damage,strong export demand, and declining crop conditions.