READLYN -- Northeast Iowa farmers are big fans of the sun these days.

Fall arrived Monday, but producers are praying it stays like summer. With delayed crop development still an issue, sunny days and temperate nights will help boost corn and soybean yields and cut down on drying costs.

Producers will get their wish for the rest of the week, at least. The National Weather Service in Des Moines predicts highs in the low 80s and high 70s and low temperatures in the 50s.

"If we keep getting weather like this, things will be good to go," said Mike Heineman, who farms near Readlyn. "If we get some frost next week, we'll burn some gas."

Heineman is referring to a potentially high corn drying bill this fall. If cool temperatures don't allow corn to dry down naturally in the field, farmers will have to fire up grain dryers extensively for the first time in several years. And with the cost of liquid propane at least 25 percent higher than a year ago and more than double the price compared to several years back, drying costs could significantly cut into profits.

Monday's weekly U.S. Department of Agriculture Crops and Weather Report said favorable weather last week allowed row crops to progress toward maturity. However, most fields are still 10 days to two weeks behind the five-year average.

Heineman said he'll probably start combining soybeans next week, but corn is still a couple of weeks away or more.

"I think we (farmers) bought a lot more gas (LP) than usual. It will impact (the bottom line) some as always," Heineman said.

Crop experts said favorable weather conditions allowed farmers to keep dryers idle the past couple of years, for the most part. That won't be the case this year.

George Cummins, an Iowa State University Extension crop specialist based in Charles City, said it will cost 42 cents to dry one bushel of corn down 10 percentage points. That's with LP at $2.10 per gallon, which is what many farmers -- give or take about 5 cents -- booked gas at this year.

Moisture content of corn needs to be 15.5 percent or less to sell or for long-term storage, and it's likely corn may be harvested at 25 percent moisture this year, Cummins said. For 500 acres of corn averaging 168 bushels per acre -- as predicted in the last production report for Iowa -- drying costs could exceed $35,200.

"They've been thinking about it (drying costs) for quite a while. - It all depend on the weather now," Cummins said.

For the most part, crop experts said corn and soybeans are safe from frost. However, a killing freeze before the first week in October could still nip at yields.

The crop report said a few soybeans fields were harvested in the state and some corn end-rows were combined for moisture tests. No yield or moisture figures were provided.

Twenty-three percent of Iowa's corn is mature or 17 days behind last year. The crop is rated 3 percent very poor, 9 percent poor, 27 percent fair, 48 percent good and 13 percent excellent.

Soybeans dropping leaves statewide are at 43 percent or 32 percentage points behind last year. The crop is rated 3 percent very poor, 9 percent poor, 30 percent fair, 47 percent good and 11 percent excellent.

A few alfalfa fields are expected to produce a fourth cutting due to the late-summer warmth and adequate moisture.

Contact Matthew Wilde

at (319) 291-1579 or

matt.wilde@wcfcourier.com.