Agricultural Report: Iowa Crop Conditions and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

Favorable weather conditions in Iowa have resulted in accelerated crop development, presenting both opportunities for high yields and significant challenges related to plant health and structural integrity. This report analyzes the current state of corn and soybean crops, focusing on disease pressure and strategic harvest planning. The findings are framed within the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action), to highlight the importance of sustainable agricultural practices in ensuring food security.

Accelerated Crop Development: Opportunities and Risks for SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)

According to agronomist David Hoy of LG Seeds, a combination of high heat and ample moisture has caused crops to progress rapidly through their reproductive stages. This accelerated growth cycle has direct implications for achieving SDG 2 by potentially increasing food supply, but it also introduces risks that could undermine this goal.

• Rapid Maturation: Corn is quickly accumulating Growing Degree Units (GDUs), leading to swift kernel development.
• Resource Allocation: Plants are channeling maximum resources into grain production at an accelerated rate.
• Potential for Compromised Quality: This rapid pace can negatively affect stalk quality and test weight, creating vulnerabilities that threaten final yields and, consequently, food availability.

While the conditions are conducive to a large harvest, the associated structural weaknesses in plants pose a significant risk of pre-harvest losses, which could impede progress toward ensuring food security.

Disease Management and Its Role in Sustainable Production (SDG 12 & SDG 13)

Effective disease management is crucial for maintaining crop health and securing yields, a core tenet of SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). Current conditions in Iowa present a mixed landscape of fungal disease threats, influenced by weather patterns linked to SDG 13 (Climate Action).

Key Disease Concerns:

• Southern Rust: This aggressive fungus is actively spreading across the state, with a notable presence in the southwest. It poses a direct threat to yield, particularly in fields without fungicide application. Even treated fields show evidence of the disease, emphasizing the challenge of control.
• Tar Spot: While present, the impact of tar spot has been mitigated by high nighttime temperatures, which have slowed its progression. This demonstrates the complex relationship between climate variables and agricultural production challenges.
• Soybean Diseases: Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) and Brown Stem Rot are causing some soybean fields to deteriorate quickly, necessitating urgent management decisions to prevent significant yield loss.

Managing these diseases effectively is essential for minimizing crop loss, thereby promoting the sustainable production patterns advocated for in SDG 12. Proactive and responsible use of treatments like fungicides helps ensure that resources invested in the crop are not wasted.

Strategic Harvest Planning for Food Security and Waste Reduction (SDG 2 & SDG 12)

Proactive harvest planning is identified as a critical strategy to mitigate risks and maximize yield, directly supporting the reduction of food loss at the production stage as targeted by both SDG 2 and SDG 12. Farmers are advised to conduct thorough field assessments to create a prioritized harvest plan.

Recommended Actions for Sustainable Harvest Management:

1. Assess Crop Maturity: Farmers should physically inspect corn husks to determine the milk line’s progress and accurately gauge when fields will be ready for harvest.
2. Evaluate Stalk Integrity: Due to rapid growth and potential nitrogen leaching from heavy moisture, corn stalks may be weakened. Squeezing stalks to test their strength can identify fields at high risk of lodging in a windstorm. These fields should be prioritized for harvest to prevent major losses.
3. Prioritize Affected Soybean Fields: Soybeans affected by diseases like SDS should be harvested first to minimize shattering and capture as much yield as possible before the plants degrade further.

By implementing these strategic measures, farmers can secure the harvest, reduce on-farm food loss, and make a direct contribution to the principles of responsible production and the global goal of Zero Hunger.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger

  The article’s core focus is on agriculture, specifically the production of corn and soybeans, which are staple food and feed crops. It discusses factors affecting crop yield and quality, such as weather conditions, rapid growth, and diseases. These topics are directly linked to ensuring food security and promoting sustainable agriculture.

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

  The article implicitly addresses sustainable production patterns by highlighting methods to reduce crop losses. The agronomist’s advice on planning harvest strategies, checking stalk quality, and prioritizing fields to prevent losses from windstorms relates directly to minimizing food loss at the production stage of the supply chain.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The text emphasizes the significant impact of weather and climate on agriculture. It mentions how “heavy GDUs,” “heat,” and “moisture” are accelerating crop growth, while “hot nights” are stressing the plants. This demonstrates the direct link between climate-related conditions and agricultural productivity, highlighting the need for farmers to adapt to these challenges.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  The article touches upon the management of terrestrial ecosystems, in this case, farmland. It discusses the prevalence of fungal diseases (“southern rust,” “tar spot”) that affect plant health and the impact of excessive moisture on soil health, specifically by “pushing some of the nitrogen down through the soil profile.” This relates to protecting biodiversity (from diseases) and preventing land degradation (nutrient loss).

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 2.4: Ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices.

   The article details the challenges farmers face, such as disease outbreaks (southern rust, tar spot) and the effects of extreme weather. The discussion of management strategies like applying fungicides, monitoring crop stages (“where that milk line is”), and adapting harvest plans are all examples of implementing resilient agricultural practices to maintain productivity.

2. Target 12.3: Reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.

   The advice to farmers to “start planning ahead” for harvest is aimed at minimizing potential losses. Specifically, the recommendation to check stalk integrity (“pinching the stalks”) to identify fields at risk from windstorms (“might kink those plants over and cause a headache when it comes to harvest”) is a direct strategy to reduce pre-harvest food losses.

3. Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters.

   The entire article is a case study in adapting to climate-related conditions. Farmers are responding to the effects of heat and moisture on crop growth and disease pressure. The agronomist’s guidance on how to manage the crop under these specific weather patterns demonstrates building adaptive capacity to climate variability.

4. Target 15.3: Combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil.

   The concern that “all this moisture… has probably pushed some of the nitrogen down through the soil profile” points to the issue of nutrient leaching, a form of land degradation. Monitoring and managing soil nutrients is a key practice in maintaining soil health and productivity, which aligns with this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Crop Yield and Quality

  The article implies this indicator by mentioning factors that could “affect stock quality, maybe some test weight.” Measuring the final yield and quality of the corn and soybeans would be a direct indicator of the success of the resilient farming practices discussed.

• Prevalence and Severity of Crop Diseases

  The text explicitly discusses monitoring the spread of “southern rust” and “tar spot.” Tracking the incidence and severity of these diseases serves as an indicator of agricultural system health and the effectiveness of management strategies like fungicide application.

• Rate of Pre-Harvest Loss

  The article implies this indicator by warning about weak stalks that could “kink those plants over” in a windstorm, leading to harvest difficulties and losses. Measuring the amount of crop lost in the field before or during harvest would be a key metric for Target 12.3.

• Soil Nutrient Levels

  The mention of nitrogen being “pushed… down through the soil profile” implies the importance of soil nutrient content. Testing soil for nitrogen and other essential nutrients would be a direct indicator of soil health and land degradation status (Target 15.3).

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Summary

Source: sfntoday.com