Wet weather is slowing harvest progress

Heavy rains followed by intermittent periods of warm temperatures and high humidity have created conditions that are affecting the crop quality in northeast Iowa.

Iowa State University Extension agronomist Brian Lang says, "The current reports suggests harvest progress in northeast Iowa is about one week behind normal for corn and two weeks behind normal for soybeans."

The effects of the wet fall weather are being being felt across most of the state. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says, "This run of extremely wet weather has slowed harvest progress dramatically and as a result soybean harvest is now well behind the five-year average. We need the rains to stop and several days of dry weather so fields can dry and farmers are able to get back to harvest."