Crop report: Little rain, more fieldwork

DES MOINES — Most of the State received little rainfall and experienced below average temperatures last week. These conditions allowed Iowa farmers 5.9 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending July 21, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Field activities included harvesting oats for grain, cutting and baling hay and applying fungicides.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 1% very short, 10% short, 81% adequate and 8% surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 1% very short, 10% short, 80% adequate and 9% surplus.

Corn silking reached 68%, one day behind last year but two days ahead of the five-year average.

Corn crop at the dough stage reached 18%, two days ahead of last year and five days ahead of the five-year average.

Corn condition was rated at 75% good to excellent. Soybean crop blooming reached 69%, five days behind last year but equal to the five-year average.

Soybeans setting pods reached 25%, two days behind last year and one day behind the five-year average.

Soybean condition was 74% good to excellent. Oats turning color reached 89%, two days behind last year but three days ahead of the five-year average.

The oat harvest for grain reached 44% complete, five days ahead of last year and the five-year average. Oat condition was 76% good to excellent.

The state’s second cutting of alfalfa hay reached 75% complete, five days behind last year but two days ahead of the five-year average.

The third cutting of alfalfa hay began at 6%, four days behind last year but one day ahead of the five-year average. Hay condition rated 78% good to excellent.

Pasture condition rated 71% good to excellent.

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

Weather Summary

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

The main weather headline of the reporting period was an early week derecho that formed in central Iowa and covered over 500 miles through Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

While pockets of agricultural damage were found, particularly in Eastern Iowa, most of Iowa remains free of widespread impacts.

Unseasonably cool conditions were also observed statewide with negative departures in the two to four degree range; the statewide average temperature was 71.1 degrees, 2.5 degrees below normal.

Weekly precipitation totals ranged from no accumulation in several pockets to 3.66 inches in Cedar Rapids (Linn County). The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.66 inch while the normal is 1.01 inches.

Little Sioux (Harrison County) reported the week’s high temperature of 96 degrees July 15, 10 degrees above normal.

Forest City (Winnebago County) and Mapleton (Monona County) reported the week’s low temperature of 48 degrees July 18, on average 14 degrees below normal.