SW Iowa Times

Southwest Iowa farmers are beginning to harvest crops, which shows an improvement from last year after having experienced a large amount of flooding from the Missouri River. 

After the flooding last year, farmers were assessing damage at this same time instead of preparing to harvest, Iowa Public Radio reported. Many farmers weren't able to plant on some of their lands last year due to the flooding, like Jeff Jorgenson, a farmer in Sidney. 

But this year, he was able to plant on those same lands. 

“When we were looking at it essentially in January, really our hope was we could get 75% of it, because it was a reality that there was still a lot of work to get done to get things in production,” Jorgenson told Iowa Public Radio.

This year, he planted soybeans on the acres that he couldn't use in 2019.

“Our crop looks really good for the most part,” Jorgenson told Iowa Public Radio. “It’s a little dry. We’ve definitely had some hit from the dryness that we’ve had, but all in all, we’re just getting ready to go.”