We have certainly had our challenges in this growing season. What started out as a mostly regional drought has spread across the state in some way, shape, or form. While the dryness did nothing to help many of our acres, it has lent itself to a rapid harvest pace this fall. The latest Iowa Crop Progress Report shows that the state has soybeans 88% harvested and corn 59% harvested.
Many farmers were preparing for the worst as they waded into the fields. We saw early chopping going on in some parts of west-central and northwestern Iowa. It has not given us much to look forward to this fall. However, as producers have gone into the fields, they are finding things aren?t as bad as they had feared.
I sat down with Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig, to talk about a few different topics on Monday. We started off with that all-important look at how harvest is going. The Secretary said that he has heard farmers in the most drought-stricken areas say it was better than they thought it would be, even with expected yield loss. What is disheartening is to see the entire state covered by the drought monitor in some way.
Naig farms in North-Central Iowa and he talks about the fact that his region was blessed through the growing season. They didn?t face extremely dry conditions.
Of course, as the harvest goes on, many farmers are thinking about 2023, what will be available, and at what cost.
We will continue to hear from our discussion with Secretary Naig later this week. The whole interview will be on this week?s edition of Weekend Ag Matters.
