Many farmers have begun harvesting their crops, and others are getting ready to.

Iowa State University Field Agronomist Mike Witt says that farmers have been checking the moisture content of their corn and soybeans, and begin harvesting when that level is deemed acceptable by them. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that some farmers leave crops in the fields longer to let them dry naturally, while others choose to dry them artificially.

“If you’re going to do artificial drying, and if you’re going to be pulling corn, especially, out of the field in that 20 percent moisture or that high moisture corn area, you need to make sure that it makes sense for you to harvest that, and then market that grain, sell that grain, and include those drying costs that are going in there. So that’s one of the things that a lot of farmers are looking at.”

Witt mentions that when it comes to soybeans, it can be a little deceiving whether or not the grain is dry or not unless you go out and check them yourself. He explains that the plant itself may look green and far from ready, but the soybean pods are dried out.