Forecasters say farmers across the region can expect near-perfect weather conditions heading into the fall harvest. DTN meteorologist Bryce Anderson says the weather patterns look promising for the next several weeks.
There will be occasional showers but nothing like what happened during the harvest two years ago when very cold temperatures and snow hit in early October, complicating and delaying much of the season. The latest U.S.D.A. report find 80% of Iowa’s corn crop is now mature and 5% of the corn crop has been harvested, which is behind 2010’s 9% but equal to the five-year average.
As of Monday, just 3% of the state’s soybean crop had been harvested, behind last year’s 7% and the normal 8%. Anderson says it appears the weather will be cooperating as we head into October.
“We’re looking at pretty decent conditions all the way through,” he says. “We should be able to have a fair amount of in-field drying on crops and that will help limit the extra drying charges, and field conditions should be good for taking care of harvest and moving in to do some fall field work also.”
Anderson says the favorable weather conditions could last well into November, as the La Nina weather pattern is in place which he says usually brings drier weather and temperatures at or above normal. “We have drier conditions for the central part of the U.S. going into the fall season,” he says.
“That’s a pretty good scenario for a drier pattern. As we go into the rest of this year, that’s not favorable for the Southern Plains historic drought, but as far as harvest is concerned in the corn belt, it’s a pretty good looking situation.”