The latest U-S-D-A crop report was released Tuesday, and shows that under half of the corn crop statewide is in either good (39%) or excellent (10%) condition. The same is true for soybeans with 39-percent in good condition and only 9-percent in excellent condition. Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey says there was not enough rain to go around. “Other than a few spots that got some rain, some spotty heavy rains, everybody else needs rain,” Northey says. “I guess it’s August in Iowa and we almost always need rain in August in Iowa.”

Northey has been at the Iowa State Fair and talking with farmers about their crops. “Most places have crops that don’t look too bad, but could really benefit from rain. Others are saying if they don’t get rain pretty soon, that their crops are really going to be suffering hard,” Northey says. The Ag Secretary farms near Spirit Lake.

(Radio Iowa)