Iowa Ag Connection - Iowa Farmers Find 4 Decent Days for Fieldwork

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Iowa Farmers Find 4 Decent Days for Fieldwork
Iowa Ag Connection - 11/14/2018

As temperatures dipped below normal across much of the state, Iowa farmers managed to find 4.0 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending Sunday, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Activities for the week included harvesting corn and soybeans, baling stalks, applying anhydrous and manure, repairing tile, and fall tillage in areas where the ground was not too frozen.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 0 percent very short, 1 percent short, 80 percent adequate and 19 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 0 percent very short, 2 percent short, 77 percent adequate and 21 percent surplus.

Eighty-three percent of the State's corn for grain crop has been harvested, 3 days behind the five-year average. Farmers in north central Iowa have harvested 91 percent of their corn for grain while farmers in the southwest have 36 percent of their corn for grain remaining to be harvested. Moisture content of field corn being harvested averaged 16 percent. Soybean harvest was 94 percent complete, 3 days behind last year and 4 days behind the average.

Feedlots and pastures remain excessively wet and frozen in some areas. Livestock were stressed by extremely cold weekend temperatures.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig Tuesday commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service. The report is released weekly from April through November.

"Farmers have now harvested 83 percent of corn and 94 percent of soybeans, which is 3 and 4 days behind average, respectively. It has been a long and challenging harvest season for Iowa farmers to harvest crops and complete other fall field work," Naig said. "The deadline to seed cereal rye cover crops has been extended to Dec. 1 statewide, so there is still time for farmers to get cover crops planted and complete other conservation work this fall."

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