DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Agriculture officials say an unusually warm start to November has helped Iowa corn and soybean farmers nearly complete this year’s harvest. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says statewide temperatures were about nine degrees above normal last week, making it the warmest start to November since 2008. That allowed farmers to get 93 percent of the corn crop out of the fields, nine days ahead of last year’s harvest and two days ahead of the five-year average.

Agriculture officials say they’ve received reports of piles of corn on the ground at some ethanol plants and local elevators. Soybean farmers have 98 percent of the crop harvested, a week ahead of last year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture updates its estimate of the size of this year’s harvest today (Tuesday).