Northwest Iowa Crop Conditions

We are seeing the first signs of fall with cooler nights, shorter days, and crops just starting to change color. Weather patterns in this area have generally turned wetter and warmer recently which is beneficial to crops at this point. We were on the dry side, so rain was welcome. However, it would have been more valuable a few weeks ago. The two week outlook shows a continuation of above average rainfall and temps. We hope the rainfall amounts continue to be moderate as we move toward harvest.

Corn that was planted by mid-May is still 16 to 20 days from full maturity, which isn’t too far off normal.The June planted corn won’t reach maturity until early October, so it will be more susceptible to frost damage. When corn reaches maturity it’s still 30% moisture, we like to see it under 20% to harvest if possible. We will need good drying conditions in October to avoid expensive drying bills this fall. There is a wide range of yield prospects this year (just within this NW Region). The best corn seems to betoward the south part of this region on well-drained farms. This area didn’t have as much trouble
during planting season also.

Soybeans are also progressing toward maturity. The planting date doesn’t change the maturity date of soybeans as much as it does on corn. Some of the early varieties are just starting to turn yellow, so those farms should be ready to harvest by the last week or so of September which is about normal.Wet weather could push the start date later. There seems to be fewer pods this year generally.