Iowa (RI) — The corn and soybean harvest in Iowa is well underway — but since there’s a federal government shutdown, the USDA’s weekly report on Iowa crops wasn’t issued Monday. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says just driving through the countryside gives you a pretty good impression of the pace of the harvest.
Naig says there appears to be variability in yields, as southern rust has appeared in parts of the state.
Naig is hearing soybean yields are strong.
Iowa farmers typically have about two-thirds of soybeans and one-third of corn harvested by mid-October. Farmers worry that the prices for corn and soybeans are being affected because buyers don’t have the weekly USDA information about harvest progress and conditions. Naig says it also means the October payments farmers get for enrolling land in the Conservation Reserve Program aren’t going out.
With Farm Service Agency offices closed, farmers cannot submit the paperwork for operating loans that some might need to buy livestock, farm equipment, fuel or fertilizer. The loans may also be used to cover family living expenses.
KIWA Staff Photo
