The weather was nearly ideal for harvest last week and farmers have now harvested 86% of Iowa’s corn and 95% of the soybeans statewide. That’s according to the weekly statewide USDA survey for the week ending November 6. The 2016 harvest progress compares with an 88% five-year average for corn for this date, and a 97% five-year average for soybeans.

The warm and dry weather last week was also very good for establishment of cover crops and allowed good progress building new soil and water conservation practices and getting other work done on the farm.

Some covered corn piles will likely be around until next summer

CORN ON THE GROUND: Corn continued to be piled higher last week, as storage becomes tighter for Iowa’s record 2016 corn crop as harvest wraps up. Some co-ops are taking allocations, telling farmers they can only deliver so much to the elevator. This pile is at Heartland Co-op at Malcom in east-central Iowa.

“We have high yields for both corn and soybeans this year, and also a large carryover inventory of grain from 2015,” says Roger Fray, chief grain marketing manager for the Landus Cooperative system, Iowa’s largest. “It’s a challenge to find a home for this huge 2016 crop. In a year like this, you wind up with some unplanned outdoor piles of corn. In the covered bunkers that are equipped with an aeration system, some of those piles will still be out there as late as next summer.”

The complete weekly Iowa Crop Progress & Weather Report is available on the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship’s website IowaAgriculture.gov or on USDA’s site nass.usda.gov/ia. The report summary follows here:

Harvest remains slightly behind last year, and 5-year average

CROP REPORT: Despite six days suitable for fieldwork statewide during the week ending November 6, 2016, corn for grain and soybean harvest progress remains behind both the previous year and the five-year average, according to USDA’s National Ag Statistics Service. A wide variety of activities were performed during the week, including chopping and baling cornstalks, tillage, tiling and manure and fertilizer applications. Corn for grain continued to be piled outside as storage becomes tighter.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 1% very short, 7% short, 85% adequate and 7% surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 1% very short, 5% short, 83% adequate and 11% surplus.

Iowa corn crop is now 86% harvested, soybeans 95% in the bin

In Iowa, 86% of the corn crop for grain has been harvested, four days behind last year and one day behind the five-year average. Moisture content of all corn for grain being harvested in Iowa dropped to 16%. For Iowa soybeans, 95% of the soybean crop has been harvested, one week behind last year, and five days behind normal. Corn and soybean harvest in southwest and south-central Iowa continues to lag behind the rest of Iowa.

Grain movement from farm to elevator was rated 62% moderate to heavy. Off-farm grain storage availability was rated 69% adequate to surplus. On-farm grain storage availability was rated 62% adequate to surplus. Livestock conditions were described as excellent with drier-than-normal feedlots for this time of year when compared to the previous two years.

IOWA PRELIMINARY WEATHER SUMMARY—for week ending Nov. 6, 2016

By Harry Hillaker, State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship

Last week was an exceptionally mild week across Iowa with temperatures averaging well above normal every day resulting in weekly temperatures of 12.4 degrees above normal. Afternoon high temperatures reached 70 degrees F or higher somewhere in the state every day of the week with Donnellson recording the highest temperature at 81 degrees on Tuesday (Nov. 1). A handful of locations barely dipped below the freezing mark on Thursday (Nov. 3) and Friday (Nov. 4) mornings. Battle Creek reported the lowest temperature with 30 degrees on Thursday morning.

Soil temperatures continue warmer than normal this fall

The only rain of consequence came Tuesday night into Wednesday afternoon when showers and thunderstorms were widespread over the southeast one-half of Iowa. A few locations picked up more than an inch of rain during this mid-week event but most places saw less than one-quarter inch. There was also some scattered drizzle or very light rain over portions of northern and western Iowa on Monday (Oct. 31).

Donnellson in southeast Iowa reported the most rain for the week with 1.61 inches while most of the northwest one-half of the state, plus small areas of southwest and south- central Iowa saw no measurable rain.

Statewide average precipitation was 0.17 inches while normal for the week is 0.55 inches. Finally, soil temperatures at the 4-inch depth were averaging near 50 degrees in extreme northwest Iowa to the upper 50s in southeast corner as of Sunday (Nov. 6).