Northwest Iowa Crop Conditions

This week’s rain finally broke a long dry stretch this fall. Generally warm, dry conditions have accelerated harvest progress and grain dry-down in the field. The long-range forecast calls for above-average temperatures to continue, along with a slight uptick in rainfall chances. Harvest is ahead of schedule, and it looks like there will be plenty of time to finish corn and do other fieldwork before the ground freezes.

Soybean harvest is essentially complete, with few exceptions. In general, yields came in slightly below my expectations, but keep in mind that my expectations were high. The hot, dry conditions caused most soybeans to be harvested at less than 10% moisture. Moisture levels dropped quickly below 13% and stayed there, which reduced yields. Other limiting factors included excess moisture in July, diseases like sudden death syndrome, and drought stress on later-maturing varieties to finish the season. All these things chipped away at what looked like big yield potential.

Corn harvest is roughly 40% complete in this region. Yields are variable, though maybe not as variable as in past years. Typically, a season favors either lighter, well-drained soils or heavier soils with more water-holding capacity. This year has been a bit different; soil type and drainage don’t appear to be the biggest factors. We’re seeing both strong and weak yields across all soil types. The biggest factors this season seem to be disease pressure, fungicide applications, and hybrid selection. Full season corn sprayed twice with a fungicide is hard to beat this season.

The corn has dried down well in the field, keeping drying costs low. However, as with soybeans, dry corn (below 15%) reduces yield from weight and shatter-loss at the corn head. Overall, yields are still above average, but not as much as we expected looking at the crops back in August.