We’ve been having some chilly weather here in Brooklyn, so I went on-line to check Iowa weather. On 13 WHOTV in Des Moines the current temp was 35. I then noticed an upcoming prediction for the 13th – high 38 and low 23 with rain and snow.
It got me to thinking about how much Iowa corn and soybean farmers have had to deal with this year. 2019 has been one of the worst years for farmers that I can remember – and it doesn’t seem to be giving them any relief.
Putting aside the Trump Tariff/trade war issues, a major problem has been nature itself. Farmers have been affected by bad weather a good deal of the time. Definitely more rain than usual, and of course, the resulting flooding.
The flooding has caused a late planting. In one case, a farmer friend had planted most of his seed for the 2019 crop, only to have rain flood the field – causing him to start planting all over again.
And the bad weather didn’t let up. Many of the roads surrounding a farm are dirt – rain turned them into mud, making it difficult to get trucks in and out to haul the harvest to market.
Now we are in Fall/Winter. A late planting means a late harvest. With the current wet weather and an approaching early freeze, the farmers are now faced with a double whammie. They are trying to harvest before the cold front arrives and they are faced with the task of drying the corn and soybeans.
This rush has created a need for liquid propane and with this rush before the cold arrives, there is now a shortage of liquid propane.
Will this affect the 2019 harvest? Absolutely.
2019 has been a rough one. I can only wish Iowa farmers all the best and include a shout out for them in my evening prayers.
Hang in there, Iowa.