Farmers close to finishing 2025 harvest

Though rainfall at the end of last week slowed things down, harvest is nearing the end as farmers work to get corn in for the season.

Don and Will Gordon, a father-son pair farming west of Creston, have all their soybeans in and are about halfway done combining corn.

Up at 7 a.m., the pair will finish their day around 8:30 or 9 p.m. Though 14 hours in a tractor may seem like a long day, the Gordons recognize they wrap their night up earlier than many farmers. They hope to be done by the weekend.

Trey Utsler with Bunge Grain, formerly Viterra, said approximately 70% of beans are in while only about 25-30% of corn.

“Beans are averaging in the 60s, mid-60s [bushels per acre]” Utsler said. “Corn is all over the place — 150 to 250. If you used fungicide, you’re much better off this year than if you didn’t.”

Many farmers have experienced southern rust, an aggressive fungal disease of corn that can cause significant yield losses. Fungicides are one of the preventative measures against this disease.

The most recent Crop Progress report shows Iowa slightly behind last year with 53% of corn and 55% of beans coming in at good quality, 23% and 22% ranking fair.

Last year, 59% of corn and 58% of beans were good quality with only 18% of both coming in at fair.

“We set a record on corn the last five years; our new average the last five years has been better than historically, so we’re doing OK,” Utsler said. “The beans are a lot more consistent. The corn is all over the place.”

Pace-wise, Utsler said corn is going as well as they’ve ever seen while beans came in at a pretty average speed.

Certainly a challenge this harvest season has been construction on Osage Street, dropping it down to one lane from Highway 34 to Adams Street.

Vehicles transporting crops have had to detour around on Commerce Road to bypass the project.

“It’s crop time; timing’s not great,” Union County Secondary Roads Superintendent Al Hysell said. “I wanted to do it in May and June, but May and June were pretty wet. Then it went to 100-degree days. We can’t work concrete in that kind of heat... manpower in that heat is not good.”

The road isn’t expected to open anytime soon as secondary roads works on more pressing projects throughout the county.