(State Newss) – Iowa farmers have harvested 27% of soybean crops in the state after yet another, hot and dry week caused pasture conditions to decline and topsoil and subsoil moisture levels to slip. Precipitation totals for the state were less than 20% of normal totals for this time of year, which State Climatologist Justin Glisan said made this one of the driest Septembers in 152 years.

Corn crops along Interstate 35 in southern Iowa on Sept. 28, 2024. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

The National Weather Service forecasted no precipitation in Iowa over the next week, and above average temperatures. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said in his weekly press release, that “Although suitable for harvest, these warm and dry conditions, paired with low humidity and gusty winds, also produce an environment that can lead to field fires. I encourage everyone to be prepared, have a plan, and keep safety top of mind as you are in the field, on the road and around the farm.”

Monday evening, firefighters from around Cass and Audubon Counties responded to a break-out of grass and field fires in the northern part of the Cass County. The fires erupted about one-mile south of Interstate 80, near the intersection of Olive Street and Boston Road, at around 5:45-p.m.  Separate grass/field fires occurred along Interstate 80 eastbound between mile markers 59 and 60. Crews from Atlantic, Marne, Wiota, Anita and Exira were among the many crews battling the flames. The last crews reported the Olive Street fire was out at around 8-p.m.  It’s not clear how those fires started.

The crop progress and condition report for the week of Sept. 30 through Oct. 6, said some producers have started hauling water to cattle as the majority of pastureland now rates fair or worse condition.  Corn harvest reached 11% this week, up from 5% last week. All but 3% of corn acreage has reached the dent stage or beyond, and 95% of soybeans have colored or begun dropping leaves. Both crops rated 77% good or excellent.

(Information for this report was obtained from the Iowa Capital Dispatch and KJAN News Director Ric Hanson)