ISA directors pleased with harvest

November 7, 2024 | Jeff Hutton

Harvest has wrapped up in 2024. Now it’s about crunching numbers, reviewing and reflecting over the past year and looking toward 2025.

Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) At-Large Director Aimee Bissell from Bedford says she was relatively pleased with this year’s harvest.

“Our harvest went well, with a record pace and not too many delays,” she says. “We had really good weather.

Earlier in the season, Bissell thought they might see a record crop, but after the combine was back in the barn, the numbers still reflect a “really, really good crop.

“All in all, it was great,” she says.

In terms of markets and finding opportunities to sell, Bissell says a good crop can be beneficial when seeking out those areas where farmers can have influence.

“With a good crop, you can be profitable,” she says.

However, with market fluctuations acting like a roller coaster, maintaining, waiting and holding onto your grain before selling, can be stressful.

“With all these fluctuations, it has been difficult,” she says. “There’s so much going on with the marketing side of it. No matter what, it doesn’t make it easy while you are on the ride – it will always cause you some stress.”

Beyond the marketing concerns, which are always a factor throughout both the planting and harvest seasons, Bissell says there are some positives.

“With harvest, it’s good to see what worked, what the yields were, how many bushels we had – it helps to know those numbers, so you know what price you need to reach to make the year profitable,” she says. “It eases a little bit of my stress levels.”

‘See what hits’

For ISA District 7 Director Scot Bailey of Anita, the harvest of 2024 was an exceptional one for both beans and corn.

Like Bissell, Bailey says harvest season went by quickly.

“We had some beans that were very good and some that were average,” he says. “But the pace that we were going at, especially with no rains, we were going as hard and fast as we could.”

With his corn crop, Bailey says his operation had “phenomenal yields … It was very exciting and a nice problem to have.”

And during this time, Bailey was able to work with the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund (SWOF), implementing some cover crops, including wheat and oats. With the recent rains, some of the wheat has already started to germinate.

Bailey agrees with Bissell that post-harvest provides him with more solid numbers to work with when it comes to marketing his grain, knowing what he needs to make the effort financially worthwhile.

“You have to go ahead and crunch the numbers, put in your offers to co-ops, ethanol plants, crushers and see what hits,” he says.

Statewide update

“After a long stretch of dry conditions that allowed harvest to proceed without much interruption, measurable rainfall finally arrived last week and stayed through the weekend in much of the state,” says Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “For Iowa farmers still finishing harvest and other field work, the moisture may temporarily delay progress. However, it will also provide the added benefits of reducing dust, decreasing fire risk and helping to replenish our dry soils, waterways and pastures. For the many farmers who have seeded cover crops or are planning to do so, the rain also provided a much-needed boost toward getting them established. As we look ahead to the next two weeks, outlooks continue to show better chances of warmer temperatures and more rain.”

In the latest Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) report, much needed rain across Iowa meant Iowa farmers had just 4.7 days suitable for fieldwork during the week that ended this past Sunday. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), field activities included harvesting corn and soybeans, completing fall tillage, and applying fall fertilizer and manure.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 21% very short, 38% short, 39% adequate and 2% surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 27% very short, 42% short, 31% adequate and no surplus.

Harvest of the corn for grain crop reached 92 percent statewide, six days ahead of last year and two weeks ahead of the five-year average. Moisture content of field corn harvested for grain remained steady at 14%. IDALS did not provide a soybean harvest update, but did note that last week’s crop report indicated the soybean harvest was nearly complete at 96%.

And across all states, the 2024 soybean harvest paced ahead of the last five years with more than 90% of soybeans harvested as of this week, according to the United Soybean Board.

Meanwhile, back in Iowa, livestock producers reported weaning calves and sending some to local sale barns. Many feedlots went from dry and dusty to muddy with the rain received during the week, Naig says.

Drought numbers

The recent rainfall has made somewhat of a dent in the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report.

Just more than 6% of the state was listed as having no drought issues which mainly impacted a portion of south central Iowa.

More than 30% of the state is categorized as abnormally dry, while nearly 51% of Iowa is marked as being in a moderate drought.

However, nearly 13% of the state, primarily in the northwest corner of Iowa, remains in the severe drought category.

‘A good life’

Despite the now dry conditions, with harvest over or nearly complete, farmers are able to breathe a little easier … for now.  But as Bailey and Bissell will agree, there really is no rest for the weary.

For Bailey, he’s already working toward next year, looking at seed varieties, fertilizer, talking with implement dealers about repair work and relying on those stakeholders like co-ops, agronomists, bankers, accountants and others to discuss the upcoming 2025 season.

“You spend all winter planning with those people, so you know where you need to go,” he says.

Bissell seconded that sentiment and says despite all the arduous work that has occurred and will again start in the spring, post-harvest and winter is the time to give thanks.

“Everything we do does affect everyone around you,” she says. “We knew this when we chose this lifestyle, and we would have to accept the challenges. Overall, farming can provide you with a good life.”

---

Back