Farmers praying for some dry weather as harvest nears

An ISU Extension agronomist remains optimistic about this year’s corn crop, but he also knows area farmers want the tap turned off.“We’ve had plenty of rain,” said Terry Basol, who is based in Nashua, ”and we could use some drying out. One thing we’re obviously not worried about right now is soil and sub-soil moisture levels. We have plenty.”Basol said cornfields in the area look “pretty good,” and he pointed out that corn can handle wet soil much better than soybeans.But he also said soybean yields may not be as strong as farmers originally hoped because of the almost 30 inches of rain the area has received since June 1.“We’re going to be spotty with soybeans,” he said. “Unfortunately, we’ve had a fair amount of ‘sudden death’ set into the soybeans because of the wet conditions.”Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, in his weekly crop report, said the upcoming harvest season is shaping up to be a good one.Statewide, 83 percent of corn and rated as good to excellent while 82 percent of soybeans are either in good or excellent condition.Northey did point out that there have been reports of sudden death and white mold in scattered soybean fields.And the state’s top ag leader believes the harvest season — Mother Nature willing — may just be around the corner.“Crops are moving quickly towards maturity and we are likely a couple of weeks away from the start of widespread harvest activity,” Northey said. We are starting to see some corn being chopped for silage.  It is great to see some planes aerially seeding cover crops into standing corn and soybeans to allow them to start growing before the crop is harvested this fall.”Locally, though, farmers just need time for fields to dry out.Some farmers are already worried about potential drying costs, especially when corn right now is selling for under $3 a bushel.“Chickasaw and Winneshiek [counties] just can’t seem to miss a single storm,” Basol said, “but we have to go with the hope that we’re due for some good weather.”