Brock Grubbs, a farmer from Perry, began harvesting soybeans last Friday. The Grubbs are pleased with the soybean yield and intend to start harvesting corn once they finish with the early maturity soybeans. Grubbs mentioned that a little rain would be welcome not only to settle the dust but also to provide a brief break. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association/Joclyn Bushman)
Favorable weather conditions forecasted for harvest
September 19, 2024 | Kriss Nelson
Some rain delays in the upcoming days could interrupt field work, leading farmers to wonder how long they will have to wait before harvest can resume.
“We may get some rainfall throughout the state, but it does not look like a prolonged event right now, possibly ending this weekend or early next week. It looks like we slide back toward dryer conditions next week,” says Dennis Todey, director of the Midwest Climate Hub in Ames. “Although it will certainly slow things down from a fieldwork standpoint, I think most soils around the state are dry enough they will take up most of the moisture.”
The combination of relatively warm and dry conditions over the past two to three weeks has contributed to the early maturing of soybeans and corn.
According to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) weekly crop progress and condition report, corn and soybean maturity in the state are at or slightly ahead of the five-year average.
“I expect that to continue to speed up as we continue to have warm and dry conditions,” says Todey.
Since late spring into early summer, the weather pattern has been transitioning into La Nina. That is still the case as we transition into the fall season.
“It looks as if the warm conditions in the overall trend, as far as we can see, will remain into later fall,” says Todey. “This is why I am cautiously optimistic harvest season should be able to move along without any major weather delays, especially given the dry soil conditions.”
The dry conditions are taking a toll on soil conditions. According to the drought monitor information released Sept. 19, 100% of the state of Iowa is now categorized as D0, or abnormally dry, with areas in the northeast and southwest portions of the state rated in a moderate drought.
This is in comparison to last week, when only 65% of the state had a rating of abnormally dry.
Anticipated timing of a killing frost
Considering the delayed development of corn and soybeans in the northwestern area of the Corn Belt, should farmers be concerned of a killing frost?
“There are no concerns of an early freeze or frost impacting those delayed acres at this time,” says Todey, reminding farmers the outlook is showing warm conditions for at least the next two weeks and possibly longer.
To help answer the question of when farmers can expect the first freeze, the Midwest Regional Climate Center has developed a Freeze Date Tool.
The tool displays freeze dates by trend, decade and growing season, pinpointing temperature changes for growers at a county level. The Freeze Date Tool also provides freeze date and growing season tables indicating temperature changes from 1950 to the present for each county.
“We talk a lot about average freeze or frost dates in the fall, but this tool shows there is a trend toward freeze dates getting later in the season,” says Todey.
Back