A state official reviews the uniqueness to the weather patterns of 2024 and how those factors have impacted agriculture.

State Climatologist Justin Glisan says a dry start to the year allowed farmers to get crops planted which went pretty smoothly, but that the increase in storms and rain caused some farmers to need to replant, especially in areas hit by particularly strong storms, or in the case of the northwest part of the state, heavy flooding.

Glisan shares that the increased rain that fell gradually in other areas of the state, including south central and central Iowa, helped crops to grow very well.z

“Overall, you look across the state, and across the Corn Belt in general, near record yields in corn and beans. Some variability out there in the field, given how dry September getting into October was, (and) really low dew points. What was interesting to me is we warmed up nicely during the day, warmer than average temperatures in September and October, but the dew point was so low. And the dew point, again, for your listeners is basically the basement for the overnight low temperature.”

Glisan mentions that this dry period in September and October helped farmers to get in the field and get their crops harvested, without the need for drying the grains out artificially. He adds that crop damage was very low for the most part, and that many farmers and crop producers were pleasantly surprised with how the harvest turned out.