From green to gold

The changing aesthetic on rolling hills throughout northwest Iowa can only mean one thing – harvest season is just around the corner.

Soybean fields have been changing rapidly from green to gold over the past week. Alic Mohni, an agronomist with Growmark FS in Hartley, said local farmers are expecting varied yields thanks to extremely spotty rain totals throughout the region during the growing season.

"We're going to get a little bit of everything," he said. "North of Hartley, things look pretty good. South closer to Royal, they're three or four inches behind on rainfall in some spots."

Mohni reported area soybean fields are looking "pretty good" as harvest approaches. Some fields experienced aphid issues this summer, but he didn't expect the bugs to greatly impact yield numbers.

"Overall I think our beans are going to be above average," Mohni said.

Numbers for corn might be more variable with less top-end yields. Mohni said some farmers have been battling infestations of western corn rootworm beetles throughout the summer, which could dent yields in some fields.

"We've seen some pretty bad numbers of them," said Mohni. "We've thrown everything at them control-wise, but they're still seeing them. That's something to think about for guys thinking about planting corn on corn next year."

One of the largest variables on this year's harvest will be the derecho that blew through the area on July 5. Though soybean fields were mostly unaffected, several cornfields experienced snapped or goose-necked stalks thanks to high-speed winds.

"It happened early enough, so I think some of the yields have compensated," Mohni said. "But it's still hard to predict yields and it's really hard to get a good estimate. That derecho is definitely going to take some top-end yields off."

Soybean progress lagging slightly statewide

The USDA's Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released Monday noted the pre-harvest blitz across the state with farmers chopping corn, harvesting corn for seed, cutting hay and seeding cover crops. Producers were also preparing equipment for harvest.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 16 percent very short, 29 percent short, 54 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 19 percent very short, 32 percent short, 48 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.

Corn in the dough stage or beyond was 98 percent, two days ahead of the five-year average. Eighty-four percent of Iowa's corn crop has reached the dent stage or beyond, one day behind last year. Twenty-three percent of the state's corn crop was mature, two days behind last year and one day behind the five-year average. Corn condition fell 3 percentage points to 63 percent good-to-excellent.

With virtually all soybeans setting pods, 48 percent have reached coloring or beyond, four days behind last year and two days behind the 5-year average. Soybeans dropping leaves were at 9 percent, one week behind last year and five days behind the average. Soybean condition dropped 3 percentage points to 63 percent good-to-excellent.

Eighty-seven percent of the state's third cutting of alfalfa hay was complete. Pasture condition remained 32 percent good-to-excellent. Some producers were feeding cattle high-moisture corn and hay.

Drought expands in Iowa after another dry month

Iowa's August precipitation was 3.53 inches, or 0.6 inches below normal for the month, according to the latest Iowa water summary update released last week by the department of natural resources.

This marks the fifth month in a row of below-normal statewide average precipitation. Southeast Iowa was the driest region of the state, with Keokuk receiving only 0.25 inches of rain for the entire month.

"Although August was close to normal for rainfall on a statewide basis, rainfall was below normal for the fifth consecutive month. The state needs above-normal rainfall for several months in a row, not another below-normal month," said Tim Hall, DNR's coordinator of hydrology resources, in a news release. "Over the past several years, the state has seen very wet September and October months, and that trend would be welcome in 2022."

Some improvement in drought conditions was made in southwest and central Iowa, but drought conditions worsened in southeast Iowa over the last month.

Streamflow, soil moisture and shallow groundwater levels are all lower than normal in northwest and southeast Iowa.