Iowa is on pace for a record corn crop this fall, with the U.S.D.A. estimating production at nearly 2.5 billion bushels. Bruce Rowher, a farmer from the northwest Iowa town of Paullina, says this is the best crop he’s ever raised, and that’s true for many corn producers in the state.
Rowher says he’s heard at the grain elevator that there may be some fields yielding 220-bushels per acre, though some areas will certainly be lighter as there’s been very dry weather lately. Rohwer says the corn is fully dented now and ready for harvest, but whether or not it all reaches full maturity is still in question.
He says the dry weather is “moving the maturity along” though he also questions whether the cool July may have extended the pollenation period to the extent that some crops won’t be ready to harvest for some time yet. The USDA predicts Iowa farmers will harvest a record corn crop of two-point-four-seven billion bushels. It would beat the record of 2.38 billion set two years ago.
Submitted by Jerry Oster, WNAX, Yankton