NEAR ORANGE CITY, Iowa (KTIV) -
Like many Iowa farmers, Dave Huitink has found the lack of water to be a summer bummer for parts of his corn field.
"There's nothing there. And at this point it's not going to get any better," he said holding a withered ear.
Across Iowa, corn conditions just keep declining. The USDA says only 16 percent is in good to excellent condition.
"This is what you don't want to see at all," said Huitink.
Huitink has other crops he can fall back on. His soybeans aren't in terrible shape. But what's really surprised him, his pumpkins.
"I keep thinking some morning I'm going to come out here and they're going to be wilting and dying," said Huitink.
Instead, Huitink is finding them close to par for any other growing season.
"Starting to get some color to them. Not a real hard shell on them yet, but they are turning and looking very nice," said Huitink.
Western Iowa horticulturists say pumpkins are beating the heat in our area. They point to planting, saying seeds were put in the ground at the perfect time, early June.
"We had some moisture in the ground, spotty rain across the state. Once we got rain, germination took off," said Iowa State University Horticulture Specialist Joe Hannan.
Hannan says as a side benefit, the heat has halted diseases that sometimes hinder the plant's growth.
"A dry year really keeps our disease problem down, which gives us a huge advantage," said Hannan.
It's good news for Huitink, who expects a plump pumpkin crop for Halloween. His corn may be suffering, but his pumpkins have him smiling like a jack-o-lantern.
Here's the most recent USDA crop report.
Only 16% of Iowa corn is in good to excellent condition. Soybeans, 24% is in good to excellent condition. 24% of South Dakota corn is in good to excellent condition. 32% of soybeans. And in Nebraska, 35% of the corn is in good to excellent condition. 22% of soybeans.
Click here for the full report.
