Northwest Iowa Crop Conditions

Harvest is nearing completion, and results are variable but generally better than expected. Rain, snow, and cold weather slowed harvest progress over the past few weeks. Despite the weather challenges, most farmers are getting finished up with harvest. This region had more than 4 inches of rain in October, which is about double the average for the month. The dry soil was able to absorb the rain, otherwise harvest delays would have been significantly longer. Assuming we get more moisture this winter and next spring, soil moisture levels should be in much better shape for 2024. The extended weather outlook through mid-November calls for average to above average temperatures and slightly better than average precipitation chances. It looks like there will be a window of opportunity to finish harvest and various other fall field work activities.

The majority of corn has been harvested, but there’s still quite a few farms remaining. The corn that’s left in the field seems to be standing up surprisingly well to the adverse weather conditions. The corn picked up a couple points of moisture from the rain/snow, and it can’t seem to get dried back down to where it was. Yields were highly variable depending on rainfall amounts, soil quality, fertility, and other factors. But overall, most yields were very good all things considered. In the good areas, many farms achieved their all-time best yield. The rain events in early July were critical to the corn, and the August rains made all the difference to the soybeans.

Soybean yields were very good on farms with high quality soil and just enough rainfall. Any weakness in soil texture, weed control, fertility, or problems with diseases like white mold cut yields dramatically. The few soybeans left in the field to be harvested after about mid-October has been a real challenge. They added 3 or 4 points of moisture and have been very slow to dry. Also, the ground has not been overly fit for soybean harvest. It’s much easier to combine corn when conditions get tough.

Grain markets have bounced around this fall without a clear trend direction. A strong U.S. dollar, disappointing export demand, and lack of fresh positive news have kept the lid on prices. Things to watch going forward include how the ongoing wars will influence commodity prices, South American weather over the next 3 months or so, and how the El Nino weather pattern may impact our next growing season. November isn’t typically a great month for marketing grain, but unless something changes the upside for storing grain may be limited thanks to lowered demand and ample ending stocks.