IARN — Southwest Iowa farmer Ray Gaesser says his family has had a smooth harvest so far this fall.
Gaesser farms near Corning in Adams County. He tells IARN his family started harvesting corn on September 17th. He says they’ve maintained a steady pace and are having a fantastic crop this year.
“We’re 40 percent done with corn harvest and nearly half done with the soybean harvest here,” said Gaesser. “It’s moving along and a little bit ahead of schedule. The yields are very good. I’m pretty confident we are going to have record yields for our farm. We’re really happy with that and the price is pretty good. It’s not very often you get a good yield and a good price. We’re pleased about that.”
Gaesser says the growing season was dry in southern Iowa, however they were fortunate to receive several timely rain showers to get to the finish line.
“The weather has been really good,” said Gaesser. “We had a light rain last Thursday or so, did a little corn harvest on Saturday, and then back to soybeans again. We try to concentrate on soybeans when they are ready. Some of our full season varieties aren’t quite ready yet.”
Gaesser also noted that with more and more heavy equipment on the roadways, farmers and the traveling public need to be extra cautious and patient when driving this harvest season.
“Just be careful,” said Gaesser. “There is a lot of farm equipment on the road, and they do go slow, and they are wide. We try to have a blocker in front of us all the time for protection, but it’s people that come up from behind and don’t realize how slow you are going. I just encourage people to watch out.”
The Association of Equipment Manufactures this fall offered three tips for drivers during harvest season: Be Aware, Be Predictable, and Be Patient.
