Last week was another wet one for Iowa, continuing to slow the 2017 harvest. The nation’s top corn-producing state has only 13% of its corn acres harvested compared to a five-year average of 47% for this date. The weekly statewide USDA survey as of Oct. 15 also shows soybean harvest is lagging — only 32% harvested vs. a 66% average for the past five years.

“The continued wet weather across the state slowed harvest again last week and as a result just 13% of corn and 32% of beans have been harvested. It looks like the weather could be more agreeable this week, and I expect harvest to move very quickly if we do get a run of dry days,” says Mike Naig, Iowa deputy secretary of agriculture.

How does Iowa compare to its neighbors?
Minnesota farmers are falling behind, as they’ve completed 7% of their 2017 corn harvest vs. a 38% five-year average. Some states have been able to combine corn at a pace this fall that’s closer to their average. Missouri now has 60% of its corn out of the field vs. a 73% average. Corn harvest in Illinois is 47% complete, compared to 64% for the five-year average. Indiana farmers have harvested 34% of their corn vs. a 46% average for the past five years.

Soybean harvest is moving along in Illinois and Indiana. Illinois is 63% complete as of Oct. 15, compared to a 58% average. Indiana is right on pace with 52% complete. However, similar to the corn harvest, Iowa and Minnesota’s soybean harvests are dragging behind with only 32% done in Iowa vs. a 66% average, and 45% finished in Minnesota vs. 82% for their five-year average.

The complete weekly crop and weather report is available on the Iowa Department of Ag and Land Stewardship’s website IowaAgriculture.gov or on USDA’s site nass.usda.gov/ia. The report summary follows.

Summary of Iowa crop conditions
Most Iowa farmers fell further behind on harvest due to rain throughout much of the state during the week ending Oct. 15, according to USDA’s National Ag Statistics Service. There were only two days suitable for fieldwork; the second week in a row Iowa has had less than three days suitable for fieldwork. Many activities were delayed due to wet conditions. But when the weather allowed, farmers harvested corn for grain and soybeans, planted cover crops and hauled manure.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 4% very short, 7% short, 71% adequate and 18% surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 9% very short, 16% short, 68% adequate and 7% surplus.

Corn moisture content averages 21%
As of Oct. 15, the survey showed 94% of Iowa’s corn crop had reached maturity or beyond, six days behind last year and two days behind the five-year average. Just 13% of the corn crop for grain has been harvested, the smallest percentage harvested by this date since 2009 and over two weeks behind average. Moisture content of corn being harvested for grain averaged 21%. Corn condition rated 61% good-to-excellent.

Surveying Iowa’s soybean crop, 96% of soybeans were dropping leaves, one day ahead of last year and two days ahead of average. And 32% of the soybean crop has been harvested, the lowest percentage harvested by this date since 1985. Only east central Iowa farmers have harvested over 50% of their soybean crop. Soybean condition rated 63% good-to-excellent.

Pasture conditions continued to improve with the additional rain, to 31% good to excellent. Feedlots remain very muddy.

Weather summary for Iowa
Harry Hillaker, state climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, provides the following summary for week ended Oct. 15.

It was another wet week across most of Iowa with highly variable temperatures. There were two statewide rain events with both bringing the heaviest rains to eastern Iowa. The first rain event moved into western Iowa the night of Oct. 9 and very slowly exited eastern Iowa the morning of Oct. 12. The second rain event developed over western Iowa Oct. 13 in the morning and moved out of eastern Iowa the night of Oct. 14.

Between the two events rain totals exceeded an inch over most of the southeastern two-thirds of Iowa while only light rain fell across the far northwest counties. Weekly rain totals varied from only 0.05 inches at Doon in Lyon County to 4.68 inches near Peosta in Dubuque County.

Already Iowa’s 7th wettest October on record
The statewide average rain total was 1.54 inches while normal for the week is 0.58 inch. The statewide average precipitation already ranks as the seventh highest for October among 145 years of records with one-half of the month still ahead. The week began with unseasonably warm weather on Oct. 8 when highs were in the 70s and 80s statewide. The coolest weather came on Oct. 10 and Oct. 11.

Iowa’s first freeze at Rock Rapids Oct. 10
Rock Rapids reported the state’s first freeze of the season the morning of Oct. 10 with a 31 degree temperature. A hard freeze followed the next morning over parts of extreme northwest Iowa with the lowest temperature of 25 degrees reported at Sheldon. Freezing temperatures were confined roughly along and west of a line from Estherville to Storm Lake to Logan.

Meanwhile, Fort Madison reported the week’s highest temperature with 84 degrees on Oct. 9. However, very warm weather also returned to southeast Iowa late in the week with highs of 80 degrees at Centerville on Oct. 13 and at Keokuk on Oct. 14. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged from 1 to 2 degrees below normal over extreme western Iowa to 4 to 6 degrees above normal over the southeast with a statewide average of 2.6 degrees above normal.