Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says this year’s harvest appears to be on schedule, even as official data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is unavailable because of the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Naig noted that, based on averages from the past five years, Iowa farmers typically have about two-thirds of their soybeans and one-third of their corn harvested by mid-October. He said his visits with producers and time in the field on his family farm in northwest Iowa indicate harvest is roughly in line with those historical trends.
Naig added that rain chances remain in the forecast through the end of the month, but farmers will continue to push forward with harvest, cover crop seeding and other fall fieldwork as weather allows.
According to State Climatologist Justin Glisan, last week’s statewide average temperature was 61.4 degrees, about five degrees above normal, with widespread rainfall, particularly in southwest Iowa, where totals exceeded two inches in some areas.
