As expected, the latest crop progress report shows harvest continuing to move ahead of normal in Iowa. The weekly USDA statewide survey released Oct. 13 and based on data gathered Oct. 11 shows 42% of Iowa’s 2020 corn crop is now harvested and 78% of the soybean crop is in the bin.

“Iowa experienced unusually warm and dry conditions toward the end of last week and into the weekend. Farmers are making good progress in the field as harvest continues across the state,” notes Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig. “Both corn and soybean harvests are over three weeks ahead of last year.”

Corn harvest is 64% complete in northwest Iowa, and soybean harvest is 92% complete in that crop reporting district, which leads the state in harvest progress. North-central Iowa is also moving along with 40% of its corn and 91% of its soybeans harvested. West-central Iowa has 46% of its corn and 90% of its beans harvested.

Dry corn coming out of field

“I don’t think we’ll have to run our grain dryer very much if at all this fall, if corn keeps coming out of the field as dry as it is now,” says Bill Shipley. Farming near Nodaway in Adams County in southwest Iowa, he says corn is being harvested with a moisture content as low as 13.5% and up to 19% in his area. “Most is in the 15% to 16% moisture range, which is just perfect,” he adds. “Corn and beans are both coming out of the fields drier than expected, but we’ve had no rain recently and we’ve had strong winds. With warmer-than-normal temperatures and wind, it dries things out.”

Shipley is not quite finished harvesting soybeans, but almost. “We’ve averaged 56 bushels per acre on beans so far this year. I can’t complain,” he says. “You always want more. But considering everything the crop has gone through in 2020 in terms of extremely dry weather, that 56-bushel yield isn’t too bad.”

The complete weekly Iowa Crop Progress & Condition report is available on USDA’s site at nass.usda.gov/ia.

Crop report

Iowa farmers had nearly a full week to harvest their crops, with 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending Oct. 11, according to USDA’s National Ag Statistics Service. Field activities in addition to harvesting corn and soybeans included baling corn stalks, applying fertilizer and manure, and doing fall tillage.

Topsoil moisture condition is rated 17% very short, 34% short, 49% adequate and 0% surplus. Subsoil moisture condition is rated 21% very short, 37% short, 42% adequate and 0% surplus.

Corn has now reached 97% mature or beyond, over three weeks ahead of the previous year and 10 days ahead of the five-year average. Corn for grain harvested in Iowa is 42% finished, over three weeks ahead of last year and almost two weeks ahead of average. Moisture content of field corn being harvested for grain was at 18% moisture as of Oct. 11 and the corn crop’s condition rated 44% good-to-excellent.

Soybeans dropping leaves or beyond reached 97%, just over two weeks ahead of last year and nine days ahead of average. Nearly 25% of Iowa’s soybean crop was harvested during the week ending Oct. 11, with 78% of the 2020 crop now harvested, over three weeks ahead of last year and two weeks ahead of average. Farmers in south-central Iowa are considerably behind farmers in the rest of the state with just 38% of their bean crop harvested.

Pasture condition is rated 19% good-to-excellent, a slight decrease from the previous week. Pasture growth is minimal with the lack of soil moisture and reduced daylight hours. Some cattle producers have had to supplement hay and water supplies.

Weather summary

The first full week of October brought unseasonable warmth to the state with temperatures of up to 10 degrees F above normal in western Iowa. “The statewide average temperature was 61.6 degrees, 8.2 degrees above normal,” says Justin Glisan, state climatologist with the Iowa Department of Agriculture in Des Moines. “Dry conditions prevailed across Iowa as well with only a few weather stations reporting very light rainfall amounts. The lack of rain around the state led to weekly precipitation departures on the order of 0.5 inch to 0.7 inch below normal.”

Weekly precipitation totals ranged from no accumulation at almost all Iowa stations to 0.02 inch at Maquoketa (Jackson County). Ames (Story County), Red Oak (Montgomery County) and Shenandoah (Page County) reported the week’s high temperature of 88 degrees on Oct. 9, on average 20 degrees above normal. Clarion (Wright County) and Northwood (Worth County) reported the week’s low temperature of 27 degrees on the Oct. 5, which is 14 degrees below normal.

U.S. soybean harvest halfway done

Nationwide, farmers have now harvested over half of the U.S. soybean crop, but less than half of the corn. USDA says crop ratings have declined since last week’s report.

As of Oct. 11, USDA rates the U.S. corn crop 61% good-to-excellent, versus 62% a week ago. The corn crop is now 41% harvested, versus 32% for the five-year average.

In Illinois, 45% of the corn has been harvested, versus a 53% five-year average. Nebraska corn harvest is 34% complete. The Iowa corn crop is 34% harvested, versus a 10% five-year average. USDA estimates the 2020 U.S. corn crop as 87% mature, which is above the five-year average of 78% for this date.

The U.S. soybean crop is 93% dropping leaves, versus a 90% five-year average. USDA estimates the crop has a good-to-excellent rating of 63%, versus 64% a week ago. As of Oct. 11, USDA says 61% of the U.S. soybean crop was harvested, way ahead of the 42% five-year average. Iowa’s soybean harvest is 78% complete compared with a 35% five-year average. Nebraska is 82% complete, versus a 39% five-year average. In Illinois, 56% of the soybeans are now harvested compared to a five-year average of 50%.