Weather Conditions May Impact Grain Quality

Northwest Iowa — There is a little concern about harvest with these wet conditions that we’ve been experiencing in Northwest Iowa.

While the weather forecast is now looking more favorable, there is a chance that the extended period of wet weather may cause some grain quality issues. Iowa State University Extension Agronomist Joel De Jong explains.


He says the best thing farmers can do to prevent this is to get the crop harvested as soon as possible and get it in the bin or to the elevator where drying can begin as soon as possible.


DeJong says the risk is greater as you go southeast into central Iowa, where they have had a more extended wet period and the temperatures are a little warmer.

He says not all molds are toxic.


According to DeJong, there are some concerns about soybeans as well but mainly those concerns are not about toxins. But he says with the wet weather we run the risk of pods splitting open and dropping beans on the ground, something he says may be occurring already in some areas.

He says the good news is that most molds on soybeans don’t create toxins, but grey or moldy beans don’t store very well and the oil goes rancid quickly.

As far as getting the crops out before they’re stuck in the field over the winter, DeJong tells us his view is that we’re not that far behind. And he says that with the potential of at least two really good weeks of weather on the horizon between now and the middle of November, most farmers will be able to finish harvesting most of the crop.

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