Corn Harvest Begins in Iowa After an ‘Unseasonably’ Cool Week

By Cami Koons

A handful of Iowa farmers fired up their combines this week to start harvesting corn, according to the latest crop progress and condition report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

More than a quarter of corn acres across the state have reached maturity, according to the report, which is ahead of both last year and the five-year average for the reporting period. West-central Iowa and the northern regions of the state had lower percentages of mature corn than the rest of the state. 

Eighty percent of corn has dented, which is also ahead of last year, but on par with the five-year average. The report did not give a percentage of the state’s corn crop that has been harvested, but noted harvest of corn silage was a field activity for the period, along with cutting and baling hay. 

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig noted “initial reports of farmers picking corn” in his statement about the weekly report. 

Iowa soybean progression is ahead of last year’s schedule, but slightly behind the five-year average. Across the state, 44% of soybean acres were coloring and 11% were dropping leaves during the reporting period from Sept. 1-7. 

Soybeans rated 58% good and 18% excellent, slightly below conditions of the previous week. Corn rated 57% good and 23% excellent, also slightly below the crop condition rating from the week prior. 

The third cutting of alfalfa hay is just about wrapped up across the state, with 93% of acres completed. 

State Climatologist Justin Glisan reported that while most of the state had dry conditions and rain accumulation of less than an inch, southwestern Iowa had “unseasonably” wet conditions. 

Glisan wrote in the report that 15 weather stations in the southwestern area reported 2 or more inches of rain on Sept. 1. Across the state, the average precipitation was just 0.39 inch, which was below the climatological norm of 0.86 inch. 

Temperatures across the state were also below average, with some regions clocking temperatures 10-12°F below normal for the period, which is 67.5°F. The average for the state, which Glisan called “unseasonably” cool, was 59.5°F. 

Cover Crop Cost-Share Sign Up Extended

Secretary Naig said last week it was a good time for farmers to think about their fall cover crops. 

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced Friday it had extended the deadline for farmers to sign up for the cover crop cost share program through Sept. 18. 

IDALS said in a press release it extended the deadline due to “record demand.” 

“We’ve seen incredibly strong demand for cover crops cost-share this summer and fall, to the point that we’ve already set a new record for investment, and our county offices are reporting that requests continue to roll in,” Naig said in the release. 

Under the program, farmers who are planting cover crops for the first time are eligible for $30 per acre and farmers who have planted in the past are eligible for $20 per acre in cost share funds. The cost share benefits are capped at 160 acres per participant. 

Farmers who are implementing no-till or reduced till practices for the first time are also eligible for additional cost-share assistance through the program. 

The practices are all part of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, which aims to reduce the amount of nitrogen and other nutrients from running off of the fields and into Iowa’s streams. 

Interested farmers can sign up at their local USDA Service Center.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: [email protected]. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.