DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey commented on the Iowa crops and weather report released Tuesday by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistical Service. The report is released weekly from April through October.
“In general crops remain in good condition, with 83 percent of corn and 82 percent of beans rated good or excellent, and are ahead of the five-year average for maturity,” Northey said.
The weekly report is also available on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship's website at www.IowaAgriculture.gov or on USDA's site at www.nass.usda.gov/ia. The report summary follows here:
Crop report
Continued precipitation, heavy in some areas of the state, resulted in 4.7 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Sunday, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Precipitation and cooler nights benefited grain and pod fill. Activities for the week included harvesting oats and cutting hay when ground conditions were dry enough.
Topsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 6 percent short, 85 percent adequate and 8 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 8 percent short, 84 percent adequate and 7 percent surplus. South central and southeast Iowa continue to report the lowest subsoil moisture levels in the state.
Ninety percent of the corn crop reached the dough stage or beyond, 10 days ahead of the five-year average, with 45 percent dented or beyond, six days ahead of last year and four days ahead of normal. There were scattered reports of corn showing signs of maturity. Corn condition rated 83 percent good to excellent. Soybeans setting pods reached 92 percent, five days ahead of last year and four days ahead of normal. Three percent of soybeans have started to turn color. Soybean condition rated 82 percent good to excellent, though there were reports of sudden death and white mold in some soybean fields. Harvesting of oats for grain or seed was nearing completion.
The third cutting of alfalfa hay was 66 percent complete, four days ahead of average. Pasture condition rated 64 percent good to excellent. Livestock experienced little stress with near ideal conditions.
Iowa preliminary weather summary
By Harry Hillaker, state climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
Both temperatures and precipitation averaged close to seasonal normals across Iowa. The reporting week began with slightly cooler than normal weather on Monday, Aug. 15, when Estherville reported a morning low of 54 degrees. Warmer than normal weather prevailed from Tuesday, Aug. 16, through Friday, Aug. 19, with Thursday, Aug. 18, being the hottest day in most areas with highs in the upper 80s to lower 90s.
Finally, the weekend brought much cooler weather with highs in the 70s statewide. Temperature extremes for the week ranged from Thursday afternoon highs of 92 degrees at Des Moines, Sioux City, Osceola and Sigourney while Spencer and Sheldon reported the lowest temperatures with 46 degree minimums on Sunday, Aug. 21, morning.
Temperatures for the week as a whole average 0.3 degrees above normal. Monday, Aug. 15, was mostly dry while rain was scattered over the western one-third of Iowa on Tuesday, Aug. 16, and across the eastern two-thirds of the state on Wednesday, Aug. 17, with a few central and north central locations picking up over an inch of rain. Rain fell mostly over far northeast Iowa on Thursday, Aug. 18, night with locally heavy amounts over 3 inches near Elkader.
Finally, rain fell statewide from Friday, Aug. 19, afternoon into Saturday, Aug. 20, morning with rain amounts of one to two inches common from west central into north central and northeast Iowa. Rain totals for the week varied from only 0.03 inches at Doon in Lyon County to 4.19 inches near Volga in Clayton County. The statewide average precipitation was 1.07 inches, or just slightly above the weekly normal of 0.96 inches.