Northwest Iowa Crop Conditions

Crop Conditions

Northwest of Storm Lake

Counties of: Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Lyon, O’Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sioux

Past Weeks Rainfall: 0 to .25 inch
Soil Moisture: Short
Temperature: Above normal
Crop Progress: Good harvest progress

Corn

Crop Stage: 5% harvested
Yield Potential: Average or Below

Soybean

Crop Stage: 20% harvested
Yield Potential: Average or Below

Corn Market

Current Prices: $6.39/bu
Fall Prices: $5.57/bu
Past Weeks Trend: steady

Soybean Market

Current Prices: $13.47/bu
Fall Prices: $12.78/bu
Past Weeks Trend: 20 cents lower

Comments:

Chad Husman AFM

Harvest started at full speed on most farms this week. Overall harvest progress is just slightly ahead of schedule, but it looks like farmers will have a chance to finish soybeans rapidly over the next two weeks and start on corn right away. Some have already started on corn. I think most of the corn and soybean harvest could be done by mid-October which would be earlier than usual. Dry and warm weather has fast-tracked crop maturity and harvest progress. We’ve had two nights this week of light frost which also speeds up crop development. Its important to start rebuilding soil moisture this fall before the ground freezes, but the extended forecast remains warm and dry well into October. Many creeks, small rivers, and ponds are running dry or very low. We are setup for the possibility of yet another year of drought next year.

Soybean harvest is around 20% complete in this area. The soybean crop this year is extremely variable. Yield levels and moisture levels are varying wildly from field to field and within the field. Where the beans are dry, they are 8% to 9% moisture (very dry), but in the same field there may be areas of 20% beans (way too wet). This is making harvest challenging. Yields are down about 10 bushels per acre from last year, but last year’s crop was better than average. Areas with more rainfall this summer have good results. Soil quality and fertility are also very important factors.

Corn harvest has started on a few farms and not just high moisture corn and silage. Some early maturity corn is already down under 18% moisture which is very dry for late September. Dry corn in the field will reduce drying costs, but harvest loss also tends to increase with drier corn. Drought stressed corn tends to have weakened stalks so it’s more likely to go down. Most farmers will push corn harvest as soon as the beans are done. This probably isn’t a year to take chances on down corn. Yield levels look to be variable similar to beans.

Crop Update Achives

Please click on the links on the right to view the past pdf’s of our Northwest Crop Conditions reports.

Market Conditions

Subscribe

Stay informed and connected—subscribe to our mailing list today to receive the latest issues of Today’s Land Owner, Crop Updates, or get notified of auctions and real estate for sale, sent directly in your inbox!

I'm interested in: