Harvest complete in Iowa; producers hope to improve ag economy for 2026

The corn and soybean harvest is complete in Iowa, according to the final U.S. Department of Agriculture crop report. Producers, meanwhile, remain concerned about the cost of inputs, commodity prices and markets.

The report said Iowa corn harvest, at 99% of acres harvested, is “virtually” complete. The national report shows the other top corn-producing states have on average just 4% left to harvest.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said farmers delivered a “significant crop” in 2025 despite “variable” weather conditions, disease and a challenging agricultural economy.

“Strong production requires strong markets, and we will continue working to build and diversify demand at home, across the country and around the world,” Naig said in a statement.

According to the report, 67% of topsoil moisture and 66% of subsoil moisture across Iowa is adequate. South central Iowa has the driest soil conditions with about 60% of topsoil and subsoil short of moisture.

State Climatologist Justin Glisan said the statewide average precipitation for the Nov. 17 through Nov. 23 reporting period was 0.20 inch. That means precipitation was about half of the normal of 0.43 inch.

Glisan said the statewide average temperature for the period at 43.8 degrees Fahrenheit was 6.1 degrees above the normal.

Will Cannon, a board member with Iowa Corn Growers Association and a farmer in Jasper County, said his harvest wrapped up in a “pretty typical timeframe” though he said almost everyone he has spoken to had a handful of fields with “disappointing yields.”

Cannon said these fields were hit with disease, like southern corn rust, or seemed to reach maturity quickly but with small kernel sizes. His estimations, and conversations he’s had with other growers, point to the warm overnight temperatures as the crop matured as the cause.

“I think about everybody’s got at least one or two fields that were like that this year,” Cannon said.

He said marketing corn this season has been “interesting” because the lack of federal farm reports during the 43-day government shutdown this fall meant producers were “flying blind.”

The latest crop production report from USDA estimated corn yields were at 186 bushels per acre nationally, though the report does not include October yields due to the shutdown. Cannon said he expects the next report will show lower yield figures that will help some farmers’ marketing strategies.

“There’s going to be a lot of people paying attention to that report, because, in theory, that’ll probably be the most complete report we’ve gotten in many, many months,” Cannon said.

Iowa Capital Dispatch spoke with Cannon in early October about ag trade uncertainty, in particular with China.

Since then, China agreed to purchase U.S. soybeans and remove tariffs on agricultural commodities like corn.

Cannon said from his perspective, there is still uncertainty in the market and a general unease about the farm economy.

He said on the other hand, he has been encouraged by conversations and legislative efforts to address some of the “fundamental issues in farming” like consolidation and high input costs.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley and U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, both Republicans from Iowa, have introduced legislation known as the Fertilizer Research Act that would require a government study on consolidation and pricing in the fertilizer industry.

Grassley additionally led a hearing in the Senate in late October about consolidation in the fertilizer and seed industries that he alleged are causing elevated input costs.

“Whatever you want to call it right now, farmers are still incredibly concerned about what it’s costing to produce the crop, and what the price is right now,” Cannon said. “There’s still a tremendous amount of concern about what it’s going to cost for next year’s crop to produce it.”