Ahead of schedule on harvest here in Iowa as we start to wind everything down. The weekly Crop Progress/Harvest Progress report is out from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service Upper Midwest Regional Office, where the statistician is Brian Gallagher.
“Corn harvested for grain reached 94% statewide, on pace with last year, but ten days ahead of the five year average. Moisture content of field corn being harvested for grain remains steady at 16%.”
So the corn is dry or at least mostly dry, which is certainly good news. Now those numbers compare with some other, maybe slower paces that might be a little bit surprising. For example, our friends in Wisconsin are still in the 60% progress range. The perspective on that may be Iowa farmers are 10 days ahead of the five year average, where Wisconsin farmers would be on more of a traditional harvest pace. The report indicates 6.7 days suitable for field work this past week with the warmer weather and of course, lack of rainfall does continue to be a concern.
“Topsoil moisture condition rated 17% very short, 41% short, 41% adequate and one percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 27% very short, 42% short, 30% adequate and one percent surplus.”
Iowa secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, commenting on the weekly report says: “The unseasonably warm and dry weather this past week offered Iowa farmers another suitable stretch to finish up harvest and tackle other farm work. We expect warmer temperatures to hang around this week, though forecasts show a more active storm track as we approach Thanksgiving.”
