Counties of: Woodbury, Ida, Sac, Monona, Crawford, Harrison, Shelby
Corn yields were quite good in the areas that caught decent rains. Lower to mid-200’s were common for corn in the better areas; however, most areas were 20 bushels above or below 200. The heavy soils on the Missouri River bottoms suffered some of their worst yields in years with some cornfields falling far short of 100 bushels per acre. This was a year where irrigation nearly paid for itself in one year in some cases. Yields of mid-200’s under irrigation compared to maybe 50 in the dryland corners was one of the more dramatic comparisons we saw this year.
Soybeans did not seem to benefit as much under irrigation with many fields topping out in the 50’s despite being well watered. Dryland on the river bottom were as low as 20’s and 30’s, a few even worse. However, most of the area saw really pretty good beans for the dry year. Five bushels either side of 60 bushels per acre was pretty common. Not as good as 2021 but most were pretty pleased.
Soil moisture is tapped out. Most fields showed 12-16″ of rainfall during the spring and summer. 6-7″ was in the soil profile before planting, so 18-22″ was the total available moisture for most fields. It takes 22-25″ to grow a top crop, so we were borderline and pulled up about all the moisture possible from the subsoil. Rivers are barely flowing and are near historic lows, showing how depleted the soil profile has become. Harvest season was exceptionally dry and we have received limited moisture all fall.
Grain markets are hovering around $7.00 corn and $14.00 beans, depending on the day and location. Supplies are tight but logistical problems (river shipping, potential rail strikes, and potential diesel shortages) all make us wonder what comes next. We have sold enough 2022 crop to cover cash flow for 2023 inputs and are holding some for the traditional time of higher prices from March to early July.
Land prices are everyone’s topic of conversation, especially since a 73-acre parcel in Sioux County sold for $30,000 per acre. The overall land market has actually been fairly steady with gains established earlier in 2022. Volume has been extensive.
The latest survey from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago shows land mortgage rates averaging around 6.5% as compared to the low 4’s a year ago. That’s a 50% increase in rates which no doubt has had some impact, although not to the extent that it affects the housing market.
Please click on the links on the right to view the past pdf’s of our Southwest Crop Conditions reports.
1705 N Lake Ave
Storm Lake, IA 50588
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