Northwest Iowa Crop Conditions

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September was the driest on record for this area, and so far, October has also been mostly hot, dry, and windy at times. These conditions have quickly dropped the grain moisture % of corn and soybeans in the field. Harvest progress has been impressive over the past two weeks and is now ahead of schedule. The long-term forecast remains dry. It will be important to start rebuilding soil moisture this fall before the ground freezes. The weather extremes this season have been dramatic, from the record high rain amounts this spring to the ongoing record dry spell we are currently stuck in. Corn and soybeans would have benefited from additional rain and lower temperatures in late August and September.

Soybean harvest is nearly complete in this area. There are more beans to harvest on the north side of this territory. The hot weather rapidly dried the soybeans to below 10% moisture which is not ideal. When beans get too dry, shatter losses at the combine occur and lost water weight (anything under 13% moisture) adds up to yield reductions. The soybean yield results were mostly below expectations. The poorly drained areas were damaged in the spring from too much rain and the well-drained areas were capped by late summer dryness. On average, bean yields in this territory are 5 to 10 bushels per acre below last year’s yields.

Corn harvest has started on many farms, the bulk of corn will be done over the next two weeks. The early to mid-maturity corn is dry especially on hilly farms on the south or west side of this territory. Some of the corn is too dry already below 13% moisture. Dry corn in the field will reduce drying costs this fall, but it also increases the potential for harvest losses and wind damage. The late-summer stress didn’t seem to affect the corn crop as much as it did soybeans. The early yield reports on corn have been as good or better than expected.