• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / News / It hasn’t been this dry in Iowa since 2013

It hasn’t been this dry in Iowa since 2013

August 25, 2020 By O. Kay Henderson

Mike Naig (file photo)

The weekly Iowa crop and weather report shows only half of the state’s corn crop and just 56 percent of the state’s soybeans are rated in the good to excellent categories.

Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig said that’s the lowest rating for corn this season. “It’s down nine points this week and it’s down 20 points over the last two weeks, Naig said, “so conditions are definitely getting tough out there.”

It’s caused by a combination of drought conditions, particularly in western Iowa, plus the August 10 derecho hit fields where strongly yields had been projected.

“You think about what this crop could have been,” Naig said during an interview with Radio Iowa, “and it’s always disappointing to go out there and harvest yields that you’d rather not have, so there’s a lot of frustration and just so much uncertainty for folks as they head into the next few weeks.”

Drought conditions are now reported in nearly 88 percent of the state right at the time the kernels on an ear of corn and the beans inside soybean pods are filling out.

“A little historical perspective here: that’s the widest drought coverage of the state since 2013,” Naig said.

It comes at a critical time as corn and soybeans finish developing.

“Corn is right now filling out that ear, filling out those kernels,” Naig said. “You’ve got beans that are filling pods.”

Naig said high temperatures over the next several days will create more stress on the 2020 crop. Pasture conditions for livestock have deteriorated over the past week. Federal officials are giving some farmers in the driest parts of the state permission to use conservation reserve acres for hay or as grazing land for cattle and other livestock.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Agriculture, News

Featured Stories

Iowa State Patrol tactical team leader killed in Grundy Center stand-off

Finalists chosen for the state’s top burger

Paintings by Clinton woman gain a following in Europe

Iowa deadline for individual income taxpayers moved to June 1

Dialing rules changing for two area codes in Iowa

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Iowa State adds Minnesota transfer

Cedar Rapids preparing for big return of sports events

Iowa Games returning with full slate of sports

Iowa’s Garza sweeps national awards

Iowa’s Garza claims three national awards

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2021 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC