Harvest has started in Guthrie County and the surrounding areas.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Field Agronomist Mike Witt says that there are several farmers who have begun to harvest their corn and soybeans, there are still more that have not started yet. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio some advice he has for farmers when it comes to deciding when to start harvesting crops.

“Things to think about when it comes to harvest are going to be twofold. Number one, I would like to talk about stock quality. There are some fields out there across the area in which there could be some poor stock quality. So what really that entails is farmers going out scouting fields. If you have hybrids that are standing good, great. If you have hybrids that might be a little bit weaker, you might need to think about, ‘Do I harvest those (with) a little bit higher moisture? Or do I harvest those to get those out of the field so that those crops are not falling over?’”

Witt mentions that farmers may also be waiting for their corn and soybeans to reach a specific moisture level before they start harvesting, and what they want to do with their crops changes the moisture level they want. He adds that if they plan to store the grain for a time before selling, they should look to start when the grain has a moisture level of 15 percent, and if they are planning to sell immediately, they want a moisture level of around eight percent.