Continued dry weather and above-normal temperatures allowed Iowa farmers 6.8 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending October 13, 2024, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included harvesting corn and soybeans, baling corn stalks, applying manure and fertilizers, and fall tillage. Fire danger in fields remains a threat. Corn reached 97 percent maturity or beyond. Corn harvested for grain reached 45 percent, 3 days ahead of last year and 6 days ahead of the five-year average. Corn moisture content fell 2 percentage points to 16 percent. Corn condition rated 76 percent good to excellent. Soybeans dropping leaves or beyond reached 98 percent. Nearly one-quarter of the soybean crop was harvested during the week ending October 13, reaching 81 percent complete, 6 days ahead of last year and 10 days ahead of the average. Farmers in south central Iowa remain considerably behind farmers in the rest of the State, with just 54 percent of their soybean crop harvested. Pasture conditions fell 8 percentage points to just 30 percent good to excellent this week. Livestock water resources continue to recede.