Fall fieldwork is essentially finished for the 2024 harvest year, according to this week’s Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Iowa farmers had an average of 4.3 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending Nov. 24, as less equipment is rolling with fall tillage and fertilizer and manure applications nearly done. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says, “We give thanks for yet another bountiful harvest across Iowa, despite many challenges, including a wet spring, a dry fall, and some challenging severe weather. Record or near-record yields and production for both corn and soybeans, combined with commodity prices not keeping up with costs, amplifies the continual need to build and expand markets locally, domestically, and internationally. As Iowans gather around the table this Thanksgiving, I encourage you to think about the farmers that made that meal possible and the work they do every single day. We have much to be thankful for here in Iowa. We are truly blessed to live in the greatest state in the greatest nation and to be a part of Iowa Agriculture.” Scattered precipitation helped shore up groundwater supplies before the winter freeze. Topsoil conditions rated 34 percent short to very short, 64 percent adequate, and two percent surplus, while subsoil conditions rated 55 percent short to very short, 44 percent adequate, and one percent surplus. The complete Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report is available online at www.nass.usda.gov.
