With winter weather on the way, harvest is getting closer to completion with 5.6 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending November 13, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Fieldwork included wrapping up fall tillage, applying fertilizer, baling stalks, and hauling and spreading manure.
Topsoil moisture condition rated 18 percent very short, 35 percent short, 45 percent adequate and 2 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 25 percent very short, 38 percent short, 36 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.
Corn harvest reached 95 percent completion, eight days ahead of last year and 12 days ahead of the average. Moisture content of field corn being harvested for grain dropped slightly to 16 percent. Farmers in northeast and south central Iowa have over 10 percent of their grain corn remaining to be harvested.
The sudden arrival of colder temperatures caused some stress in livestock, who were mostly doing well.