Crop condition dips slightly as Iowa farmers face another wet week
By Cami Koons - Iowa Capital DispatchOctober 6, 2026
After one of the wettest Septembers on record, corn and soybean conditions are dipping slightly as farmers have had scarce opportunities to harvest, according to the latest crop progress and condition report.
Corn condition rated 72% good to excellent for the Sept. 28 through Oct. 4 reporting period, a 3 percentage point decline from the previous reporting period. Soybeans rated 70% good to excellent for the period, marking a 4 percentage point decline from the week prior.
Iowa has had above-average precipitation levels for the past three reporting periods, two of which had fewer than two days suitable for field work. The latest report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed 1.2 days suitable for field work, meaning farmers have not been able to get out into the field to harvest even though 85% of corn acres had reached maturity during the reporting period and 81% of soybean acres were dropping leaves.
As of the latest reporting period, 7% of Iowa corn acres had been harvested, which is just a 2 percentage point increase from the week prior and is 13 percentage points behind the five-year average. Due to the government shutdown last October, crop data from 2025 is not available.
Soybean harvest, as of the reporting period, was 5% compared to a five-year average of 38%.
With the wet conditions, there is a concern for mold or fungus growth on corn and soybeans, according to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach professionals.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said farmers should be able to "make some progress in the field" this week as warmer, drier conditions are forecast.
"After a historically wet September, we finally got a stretch of dry weather," Naig said in a news release. "The warmer temperatures and sunshine are helping fields dry down, though some of the wetter areas are going to need several more days before equipment can roll."
According to the report, 45% of topsoil and 34% of subsoil had surplus moisture conditions.
State Climatologist Justin Glisan reported a statewide average temperature for the reporting period of 61.8 degrees, which was 4 degrees above the climatological average.
While the end of the reporting period had drier conditions, according to Glisan, the statewide precipitation average for the week was just under 2 inches and about 1.2 inches above the normal. Most of the state received 1.5 inches of precipitation or more, with Portsmouth in Shelby County logging the greatest precipitation for the week at 6.49 inches.
