(IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – Just 3% of corn acres and 1% of soybean acres across the state of Iowa remain unharvested, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop progress and condition report. The according to the report, the corn harvest is just slightly ahead of the five-year average and on target with 2024 harvest figures. Soybean harvest was 100% completed this time last year, but this year’s pace is in line with the five-year average.

The weekly harvest-season reports from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service were paused during the 43-day government shutdown. The report for the Nov. 10 through Nov. 16 period shows the tail end of Iowa’s harvest.

According to the report, soil moisture conditions were slightly dry across the state. On average, 62% of topsoil and 63% of subsoil across the state had adequate moisture. Twenty-seven percent of both top and subsoils averages across the state were short in terms of moisture. Eastern parts of the state had the driest soils, with between 39% and 57% of topsoil and subsoil in the regions listed as short.

According to State Climatologist Justin Glisan, precipitation across Iowa was low for the reporting period, with most stations reporting no precipitation. The normal statewide average for the period is four-tenths of an inch, but Glisan said the statewide average was below a measurable amount.

Temperatures at the beginning of the week were 18 degrees Fahrenheit below the climatological normal, but on Friday, average temperatures across the state were 15 to 30 degrees above normal. The statewide average temperature for the week was about 42 degrees, which is nearly 4 degrees above normal.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said the dry weather and warm temperatures allowed farmers to make a “final push” on harvest and move on to other field work. According to the crop report, farmers had 6.4 days suitable for field work during the period. “With dry conditions and drought creeping back in, many will welcome the forecasted moisture that could help recharge our soils as we head toward Thanksgiving,” Naig said in a statement.