As the state of Iowa continues to be in a drought, one state official is optimistic that it will get better.

Raccoon Valley Radio recently interviewed Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and he says Iowa has hit at least 184 weeks of at least the lowest drought level, which isn’t a record that he wants to see. However, he points out that the latest crop numbers tell a more inspiring story.

“We had the fourth largest corn crop and the third largest soybean crop in our history. How does that happen in an historic drought year? Well, it’s timely rains, it’s a testament to genetics and traits and how a crop is managed, (and) the ability of farmers to coax the crop along. It’s a tough scenario. Not everybody had great yields last year, that’s to be sure. There were hotspots for drought. But largely across the state, another very, very strong year.”      

Naig is pleased with the snowfall and hopes the active weather pattern continues to drive up soil moisture levels to give farmers better footing to start the planting season.