Grain quality problems are surfacing in Iowa’s corn and soybean crops after the wettest harvest weather on record in some places, according to farmers and agronomists from across the state. Molds are growing on corn ears, and soybean pods are at risk of splitting open due to repeated soak-dry cycles, said Charlie Hurburgh, ISU Extension grain quality specialist.

“The 2018 crop is now at a point where the wet conditions are affecting quality,” Hurburgh said. “Corn moisture contents vary widely, but field mold is showing up. Stalk strength is low; there will be increasing amounts of downed or broken stalks.”

Precipitation from Sept. 1-Oct. 11 ranked among the top four wettest years for that period since 1893 in all nine Iowa crop reporting districts, according to the Iowa Environmental Mesonet weather monitoring network. Waterloo has received more than 18 inches of rain since Sept. 1, already surpassing its previous record ...