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Corn and soybean harvests are almost finished

By: - November 13, 2023 4:58 pm

Iowa farmers have harvested almost all of the state's soybeans. (Photo by Jared Strong/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Iowa’s soybean harvest is “nearly complete,” and about 94% of the state’s corn crop has been gathered from fields, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

That is nearly 10 days ahead of the five-year average for both crops, which matured more quickly this growing season because of drought and hot temperatures.

Last week was more of the same: The state averaged about seven degrees above normal and had almost no rain.

“The unseasonably warm and dry weather this past week offered Iowa farmers another suitable stretch to finish up harvest and tackle other farm work,” said Mike Naig, the state’s agriculture secretary.

If the corn harvest continues at last week’s pace, it will also be nearly complete by this week’s end.

Even though the percentage of unharvested corn is relatively small at 6%, that figure still represents a massive area because of the millions of acres that are planted each year in Iowa. About 750,000 acres were yet to be harvested at the start of this week.

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Jared Strong
Jared Strong

Senior reporter Jared Strong has written about Iowans and the important issues that affect them for more than 15 years, previously for the Carroll Times Herald and the Des Moines Register.

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