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Rain chances minimal as dry conditions continue for Corn Belt

Dry conditions continue across the upper Midwest.

Eastern Nebraska farmer Chris Clausen tells Brownfield…

“We haven’t had a significant rainfall since the beginning of August and we’ve had less than two and half inches since the 4th of July.”

University of Nebraska climatologist Eric Hunt says the conditions have significantly dried down soybeans.

“I’ve heard some moisture content on soybean is down to 6% in Nebraska, western Iowa, and I’ve heard of soybean moisture contents being under 10% even in Illinois,” he says.

Hunt says the harvest window has been mostly wide open, but…

“I think the acute dryness is actually causing some people to have to stop their harvest for periods of time during the day just because the conditions are either too dangerous or because the moisture content was just too low at that point in time during the day,” he says.

Hunt says some scattered rain chances are in the forecast Monday for Nebraska and Iowa, but no significant rain is expected through the end of the month. 

According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor from Oct. 17, severe drought now encompasses nearly half of Nebraska while moderate drought conditions blanket more than two-thirds of Iowa.