Very little harvest progress was made due to wet weather last week in Iowa. Just 8% of the corn and 26% of the beans have been harvested in Iowa so far this fall, according to the latest weekly statewide USDA survey, conducted as of Oct. 8.

“This puts the state’s 2017 corn harvest more than two weeks behind the five-year average and soybeans nearly a week behind,” notes Mike Naig, Iowa Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. “Hopefully, we can get a run of dry weather that will allow farmers to start getting back in the field.”

Mark Recker, Iowa Corn Growers Association president, farms in Fayette County in northeast Iowa. He planned to finish harvesting soybeans this week, but it rained. Some farmers are already finished with beans and are starting corn. Given the weather during 2017 growing season, bean yields were expected to be down this fall. Recker has heard quite a wide range in bean yields, from a 45 bushels per acre average up to 75 bushels per acre.

Corn, bean yields better than expected
Corn yields are down from last year, “but last year we had such a fantastic yield,” says Recker. “Even so, this year’s corn yields are coming in pretty strong.” He adds, “That is, despite the weather conditions we had in northeast Iowa this summer. We were dry early, then too much rain in July, and dry from early August to late September. But corn yields are holding up better than expected in 2017.”

“Some farmers in our northeast Iowa area are harvesting 275 bushel an acre corn. And in fields that aren’t as fertile, or are perhaps a sandier soil, they’re averaging only 220 bu. per acre,” Recker reports.

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

Summary of Iowa crop conditions
Rain most of the week prevented Iowa farmers from spending much time in fields during the week ending Oct. 8, according to USDA’s National Ag Statistics Service. There were only 2.6 days suitable for fieldwork, the lowest this season since the last week in May. Activities for the week included harvesting corn for grain and soybeans, hauling and drying grain, seeding cover crops, applying manure.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 9% very short, 16% short, 59% adequate and 16% surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 16% very short, 23% short, 57% adequate and 4% surplus.

Only 8% of Iowa corn crop now harvested
As of Oct. 8, the survey showed 87% of Iowa’s corn had reached maturity or beyond, one week behind last year and two days behind the five-year average. Only 8% of the state’s corn crop for grain has been harvested, over two weeks behind average. Moisture content of corn for grain being harvested averaged 22%. Corn condition remained at 60% good to excellent.

26% of Iowa bean crop now harvested
Looking at Iowa’s soybean crop as of Oct. 8, 92% of soybeans were dropping leaves, one day ahead of last year and four days ahead of average. The survey showed 26% of the soybean crop has been harvested, nearly a week behind average. Percent of soybeans harvested varies widely throughout the state, ranging from 9% in south central to 47% in east central Iowa. Soybean condition rates 62% good-to-excellent.

Pasture condition improved for the second week in a row to 25% good-to-excellent. Pastures have greened up and ponds are starting to fill. Livestock conditions were reported as good, but feedlots are muddy from the recent rains.

Weather summary for Iowa
Harry Hillaker, state climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship, provides the following summary for week ended Oct. 8.

It was a very wet week across most of Iowa except for small portions of east central and southeast Iowa. A very slow moving cold front was the focus for two extended periods of rainfall. The first episode began in western Iowa on Oct. 1 in the afternoon and finally departed southeast Iowa on Oct. 4 in the morning. The second period of rain moved into western Iowa on Oct. 5 in the morning and finally exited northeast Iowa on Oct. 7 in the afternoon.

Both rain periods brought the heavier and more persistent rainfall to western sections of the state. Weekly rain totals varied from 0.32 inch at Bettendorf to 6.94 inches north of New Market in Taylor County. Rain totals of 3 to 5 inches were common over the northwest one-half of Iowa while amounts were mostly under 1 inch east of a Dubuque/Iowa City/Fairfield line.

Statewide average 3.05 inches last week
The statewide average rain amount was 3.05 inches while normal for the week is 0.66 inches. A higher statewide average rain total was last recorded for the week ending July 3, 2014.

Meanwhile temperatures were above normal statewide excepting portions of northwest Iowa on Oct. 4 when Spencer Airport recorded a morning low temperature of 38 degrees. Highest temperatures were recorded across southeast Iowa on Oct. 2 with 88 degrees readings at Burlington, Indianola, Iowa City, Oskaloosa and Ottumwa.

Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged 4 to 6 degrees above normal over the northwest and 8 to 10 degrees above normal over the southeast with a statewide average of 7.9 degrees above normal.