The overwhelming images of Iowa's farmland following the August 10th derecho are hard to get out of your mind. Thousands of acres of crops flattened or damaged. Farmers knew that the toll would be high. It turns out that initial estimates of crops lost after the storm weren't high enough. CBS2 reports that crop loss estimates have gone up by more than 50%.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said last week that the number of acres of crops that Iowa farmers are unable to harvest has risen to 850,000. That is up from early estimates of around 550,000 acres. CBS2 reports that as if the derecho, with sustained winds of up to 140 miles per hour wasn't enough, much of the state also experienced drought conditions for much of the summer too. Even after some September rainfall, conditions are drying up once again.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says that he expects the number of acres lost to continue to climb as farmers get farther along into the harvest. CBS2 reports that farmers will try and harvest downed crops, just trying to salvage what they can. Naig said that he has heard from many farmers who are asking their insurance adjusters to take another look at their fields finding more damage than they initially thought.

The USDA estimates that average corn yields in Iowa will drop to 186 bushels per acre, down from forecasts of 191 bushels in September and 202 bushels in August.

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