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Iowa corn harvest slightly ahead of schedule, soybeans trail

Harvest is gaining momentum across Iowa.

USDA’s latest weekly crop update shows soybeans running about three days behind the five-year average at 17 percent harvested.  Corn harvest is slightly ahead of normal at 15 percent.

In southwest Iowa, farmer Lee Brooke says about a third of his soybean crop is harvested and he’s combined about 100 acres of corn.

“The corn is staying just above that 17 (to) 18 percent (moisture), I’m sure this hot weather this week is probably going to bring it down hopefully.”

Brooke farms near Clarinda and tells Brownfield while corn yields aren’t as good as last year’s record crop, he can’t complain.
“So far it’s good. We did some 106 to 108-day corn and (yields) are up in that 225 range. The beans we’ve run so far have all been in the mid 70’s, so I’m not going to complain.”

Crop development is ahead of the usual pace across the state with corn 80 percent mature and 83 percent of soybeans dropping leaves.