Crop report: 95% of corn planted

DES MOINES — Timely rains, while needed, limited Iowa farmers to 3.8 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending May 25, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Corn and soybean planting continued, but some producers are waiting for warmer and drier conditions to start spraying.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 4% very short, 15% short, 76% adequate and 5% surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 5% very short, 23% short, 67% adequate and 5% surplus.

Amount of corn planted reached 95%. Corn emerged reached 76%, six days ahead of last year’s pace and two days ahead of normal. Corn condition rated 0% very poor, 2% poor, 15% fair, 62% good and 21% excellent.

Ninety-two percent of the expected soybean crop has been planted just over two weeks ahead of last year and eight days ahead of the five-year average.

Soybeans that have emerged reached 60% eight days ahead of last year and four days ahead of normal. Soybean condition rated 1% very poor, 2 poor, 17%% fair, 64% good and 16% excellent.

Ninety-two percent of the State’s oat crop has emerged. Oats that have headed reached 26%. Oat condition rated 0% very poor, 1% poor, 13% fair, 69% good and 17% excellent.

Forty percent of the State’s first cutting of alfalfa hay has been completed. Hay condition rated 85% good to excellent. Pasture condition rated 68% good to excellent.

Weather summary provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

Unseasonably cool and wet conditions were the headline of the reporting period, with widespread, beneficial rain across much of Iowa; nearly 250-300% of normal rainfall was observed in central to Eastern Iowa.

Coupled with cloud cover and rain, conditions were six to 10 degrees below normal, with the statewide average temperature at 55 degrees, 8.1 degrees below normal.

Weekly rain totals ranged 0.49 inch in Sanborn (O’Brien County) to 4.99 inches in Grand River. The statewide weekly average rainfall was 2.10 inches; the normal is 1.10 inches.

Several stations reported the week’s high temperature of 78 degrees May 18, five degrees above normal. Mason City (Cerro Gordo County) reported the week’s low temperature of 32 degrees May 20, 17 degrees below normal.

Soil temperatures were in the upper 50s to low 60s statewide as of May 25.

The weekly report is available on the USDA’s website, nass.usda.gov.