USDA gives annual wrap-up report

DES MOINES — With harvest season over, the United States Department of Agriculture has issued its annual summary of the year’s crop progress reports. The numbers show lower-than-average quality of plants across the board, mostly due to widespread droughts and a late planting window.

Review of the 2022 Crop Year:

Snow, rain, and below-average temperatures in April delayed fieldwork and planting activities. The State did not see more than 2.8 days suitable for fieldwork until mid-May. By May 15, farmers had made significant progress planting field crops, although corn, soybeans, and oats were all 1 week or more behind the 5-year average.

Corn and soybean planting were virtually complete by June 5 at 98 percent, 3 days ahead of average, and 94 percent, 6 days ahead of average, respectively. For most stages, corn development began slightly behind average and then moved ahead of average throughout the season. Soybean development also spent most of the season behind the five-year average except for part of planting and harvest.

In October, for the first time since August 2013, Iowa experienced abnormally dry conditions across the entire State, with 35 percent of the State dealing with severe to extreme drought.

Iowa corn for grain harvest began during the week ending Sept. 18 with soybean harvest starting the following week. Soybean harvest reached 74 percent complete by Oct. 16, 10 days ahead of the average. More than half of the corn for grain was harvested by Oct. 23, reaching 59 percent. By the last week of November only scattered fields across the State remained to be harvested. With harvest complete, farmers were busy with fall tillage, fertilizer or manure applications, hauling grain and starting to put machinery away for the winter.

Corn

Corn planting in Iowa was delayed until mid- to late-April. Over half of the State’s expected corn crop was planted by the week ending May 15, reaching 57 percent planted. By the middle of June, planting was complete and emergence was not far behind at 95 percent.

Ninety-eight percent of the corn crop had emerged by June 19. Corn silking was slightly behind the five-year average at 66 percent by July 24. The percent of corn in or beyond the dough stage was slightly ahead of average through most of the stage. Dent was also ahead of average through much of the stage. Virtually all of the corn crop had reached maturity by Oct. 23, at 98 percent.

Corn for grain harvest began in mid-September. Dry conditions enabled corn harvest to proceed ahead of the five-year average throughout the season in most areas of the State. By mid-November, 95 percent of the corn crop was harvested and only farmers in Northeast and South Central Iowa had over 10 percent of their corn for grain remaining to be harvested. Ninety-seven percent of the State’s corn crop had been harvested by November 20.

Corn moisture level for field corn being harvested was reported at 22 percent the first week in October, gradually falling to 16 percent by November 20. The first condition rating of the corn crop on May 29 was 86 percent good to excellent. Corn condition steadily declined through most of the season to a low of 61 percent good to excellent the first week of October, then rebounded slightly to end the season at 65 percent good to excellent on October 23.

Soybeans

Soybean planting began in late April and remained behind the 5-year average until May 22, when 69 percent of the soybean crop was planted, 1 day ahead of the five-year average. Soybean planting was virtually complete by the third week of June.

The week ending June 5 saw soybean emergence jump 24 percentage points to 69 percent, 1 day ahead of the average. Nearly all of the crop had emerged by July 3.

By Aug. 21, 97 percent of the soybean crop was blooming with 88 percent of the crop setting pods, both just slightly behind average. Leaves turning color reached 75 percent on September 18. Harvest began in mid-September and by Oct. 9 more than half of Iowa’s soybean crop had been harvested, 9 days ahead of the average. Soybean harvest was virtually complete, at 97 percent, on November 6.

As of June 5, the first condition rating of the soybean crop was 82 percent good to excellent. Crop conditions declined into mid-August but then remained fairly steady with around 63 percent rated good to excellent throughout the remainder of the growing season. The final crop condition rating of the season was rated 62 percent good to excellent on October 9.

Oats

Oat seeding began in late March and by April 3, 7 percent of the expected oat crop had been planted, 2 days ahead of the 5-year average. By early May, two-thirds of the oat seeding had been completed. Seeding was virtually complete by May 29.

By May 15, over half of the oat crop had emerged. Emergence was nearly complete by June 12. By July 19 sixty-two percent of the oat crop had headed. Oats turning color was at 12 percent on June 26, equal to the 5-year average. Oats turning color progress then fell behind normal for the rest of the stage and was 1 week behind average on Aug. 7 when coloring was almost complete at 96 percent.

Oats for grain harvested was slower than average throughout the stage, not reaching 96 percent until September 4. Oat condition remained fairly consistent throughout the growing season, beginning with 75 percent rated good to excellent on May 22, and ending the season on July 31 with 75 percent rated good to excellent.

Alfalfa and pastures

The first cutting of alfalfa hay was more than halfway complete by June 12, reaching 59 percent, 4 days behind the 5-year average. By July 10 the first cutting was nearly complete, 1 week behind average. The second cutting was 97 percent complete by Aug. 14, equal to the average. The third cutting of alfalfa was 65 percent complete by Aug. 28, 5 days behind average. By Sept. 25, nearly all of the third cutting of alfalfa had been harvested at 98 percent complete statewide.

Hay condition averaged 65 percent good to excellent, with a high of 75 percent in late May. The last crop condition rating of the season rated 48 percent good to excellent on Aug. 21 due to drought or abnormally dry conditions in over 67 percent of the state.

Iowa’s pastures remained mostly dormant until mid-April. With adequate precipitation from mid- to late May, pasture condition reached a season high of 65 percent good to excellent as of June 12. Pasture conditions declined through August due to drought conditions over much of the state. Pasture condition averaged 54 percent good to excellent throughout July due to variable precipitation. Abnormally dry conditions statewide dropped conditions to an average of 33 percent in August.

The season ended with the year’s lowest rating of 25 percent good to excellent on October 30.