Many farmers have yet to enter field due to recent rainfall, but those who have report pleasing results.
The Iowa Crop Progress & Condition report indicates eight percent of the corn crop for grain has been harvested. This year?s corn harvest is more than two weeks behind average. Corn condition remained at 60 percent good to excellent. Wayne Humphreys, a farmer from Louisa County, shelled his corn crop. Humphreys says the yields have been surprising.
?We were combining last night and hit 300 bushels a couple times, on the yield monitor,? Humphreys said. ?We have a farm that has never done more than 180 bushels/acre and it averaged 226 bushels/acre this year. Anecdotally, I?ve delivered several loads of beans to a river term on the Mississippi and asked the weigh master what guys were telling him. To the person, everyone has said their yields are higher than expected and were surprisingly good.?
Ninety-two percent of soybeans were dropping leaves, one day ahead of last year and four days ahead of average. Twenty-six percent of the soybean crop has been harvested, nearly a week behind average. Percent of soybeans harvested varies widely throughout the state, ranging from nine percent in south central to 47 percent in east central Iowa. Humphreys, who farms along the Mississippi River, says farmers struggle to find a field of harvest-ready soybeans.
?(There are a) lot of green stems and leaves on the bottom,? Humphreys said. If you look across the field, it looks like its ripe and ready. If you look down the row, the bottom half of the plants are still green and holding onto leaves. Soybean harvest, in this part of the state, is problematic.?
However, Mark Recker tells a different story. Recker, a farmer from Fayette County, says area farmers finish wrapping up soybean harvest.
?We had an up-and-down season this year. We were dry early on, received lots of rain in July and then turned dry in August and September. We thought it would have an impact on yields, especially being dry the last part of the season. In my area, beans are wrapping up. Bean yields are average to below average, wide ranging, running 45 to low 70 bushels/acre. Early indications for corn yields in the northeast part of the state, yields are going to be above average,? Recker said.
Soybean conditions rated 62 percent good to excellent.
