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Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
Crop report: Precipitation slows field work
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
DES MOINES — Periodic rains throughout the week resulted in just 2.3 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending April 27, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service.
While needed, the precipitation slowed or stopped fieldwork and cool temperatures hampered crop emergence.
Topsoil moisture condition rated 3% very short, 11% short, 75% adequate and 11% surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 4% very short, 21% short, 67% adequate and 8% surplus.
Corn planted reached 34%, two days ahead of the five-year average.
Statewide, corn emerged was 2%. Twenty-five percent of the expected soybean crop has been planted, one day ahead of last year and four days ahead of the five-year average.
Oats seeding reached 81% complete, four days behind last year but two days ahead of the five-year average.
Forty-one percent of the expected oat acreage has emerged, three days behind last year but four days ahead of normal.
Pastures and grass continue to green up. Apart from some muddy feedlots, no livestock issues were reported. Some cow calf pairs were being turned out to pasture.
Weather summary provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
Most of Iowa experienced an unseasonably wet reporting period with the passage of several rounds of showers and thunderstorms. The wettest conditions were reported across central to northeast Iowa with positive departures on the order of two to four inches.
Warmer than normal temperatures persisted with the statewide average temperature of 55.7 degrees, 2.2 degrees above normal.
Weekly precipitation totals ranged from 0.28 inch in Sioux Center (Sioux County) to 5.46 inches in Cedar Falls.
The statewide weekly average precipitation was 2.06 inches; normal is 0.93 inch.
Donnellson (Lee County) and Muscatine (Muscatine County) reported the week’s high temperature of 81 degrees April 4, 16 degrees above average.
Spencer Municipal Airport (Clay County) reported the week’s low temperature of 30 degrees April 26, nine degrees below normal. Four-inch soil temperatures were in the low 50s north to upper 50s south as of Sunday.
