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While there is significant uncertainty about this year’s harvest weather, the struggles with previous year soil compaction may still be lurking in corn and soybean fields across Iowa. This article will highlight challenges with wet conditions at harvest and opportunities to minimize the long-term consequences of harvesting fields with wet soils.

Some areas have received several inches of rainfall since Sept. 1, during a time when corn and soybean water use declines significantly. This lack of water use by the plant creates saturated soil conditions susceptible to compaction this fall. High soil moisture increases soil compaction caused by field traffic and machinery. Over the past decade the size of Iowa farms has increased, leading to larger and heavier equipment.

However, equipment size is only one factor among many causes of the soil compaction problem.

This spring consisted of wet field conditions for many regions across Iowa during planting season. When soil moisture is at or exceeds field capacity, there is an increased potential for soil compaction, particularly at topsoil depths. Soil compaction at planting time can impact root growth and development for the rest of the growing season, and can be a serious problem for Iowa farmers. However, with proper field management, compaction can be minimized.