Farmers in Guthrie County and the surrounding area are making progress with harvesting their fields, even with the recent rain.

Iowa State University Extension Field Agronomist Mike Witt says that the recent rains are a welcome sight, even if it means that farmers can’t be in the fields as much as they’d like. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that almost all soybeans have been harvested, while corn is about halfway finished, and shares reports on how well soybeans did this year.

“Yields for soybeans around the area have been fairly average, with some in the 50 to 60 (bushels per acre) range, and then a couple of reports even higher than that. As far as those yields, however, some fields that were in lighter soils or those that had moisture lacking issues, really, some of those got hit hard when it came to those yields.”

Witt mentions that white mold was prevalent in Guthrie County and the surrounding areas, which helped with the decline in yield in some fields. He adds that in the coming months and through winter, getting more moisture would help prepare the soil for next year. Witt says that what really needs to happen, is slow, light rainfall while it’s still warm enough to stay liquid, and good snow cover in the winter, with a slow thaw to really help the ground soak everything up.