Conditions in Iowa are the driest seen in the last four months, but things are expected to shift as El Niño arrives in the Midwest. Opportunities for precipitation are on the horizon. However, farmers will have to wait and see.

For now, crops are dealing with a lack of moisture. Only 40% of the state’s topsoil was recorded as having “adequate or surplus moisture.” According to Successful Farming, that’s less than half of what the soil had in 2022.

Western Iowa has seen the worst of the dry conditions. Aaron Saeugling, a field agronomist in the area, reports that rivers and creeks are the lowest he’s ever seen and corn leaves are curling due to lack of water.

Read more about the dry conditions in Iowa with Successful Farming.