After an abnormally wet September, drier conditions have returned to some of the key row crop growing regions of the country in October. USDA Chief Meteorologist Brad Rippey says the drier conditions are leading to a slow and steady return to harvest activity in states like Iowa.
Rippey says that by the end of this week, cooler temperatures will be limited to only a portion of the eastern United States.
There were only 1.2 days suitable for fieldwork in Iowa during the week ending Oct. 4, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Just seven percent of corn in Iowa has been harvested, which is 13 percentage points behind the five-year average according to the latest crop report which was published Monday. Only five percent of soybeans have been harvested, which is 33 percentage points behind the five-year average. Those numbers are expected to climb significantly in next Monday’s report as farmers now experience more suitable harvest conditions.
