Dry conditions help farmers in fields

DES MOINES – Dry conditions helped Iowa farmers as days suitable for fieldwork increased to 5.9 for the week ending April 13, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Fieldwork included tillage, seeding oats and applying anhydrous ammonia, manure and dry fertilizer. There were also reports of corn and soybeans being planted.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 7% very short, 24% short, 68% adequate and 1% surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 9% very short, 31% short, 59% adequate and 1% surplus.

Oats seeding reached 47% complete, three days behind last year but three days ahead of the five-year average. Six percent of the expected oat acreage has emerged, five days behind last year but equal to the average.

No livestock issues were reported.

Weather summary provided by Justin Glisan, state climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship:

A drier pattern prevailed through the reporting period with most of Iowa’s weather stations reporting no rainfall; southeastern Iowa observed the wettest conditions.

Weekly temperatures varied from nearly four degrees above normal in northwest Iowa to a few degrees below average farther east; Iowa’s average temperature was 45.2 degrees, 1.0 degree below normal.

The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.02 of an inch. The normal is 0.79 of an inch.

Little Sioux (Harrison County) reported the week’s high temperature of 82 degrees April 12, 21 degrees above average.

Elkader (Clayton County) reported the week’s low temperature of 13 degrees April 8, 18 degrees below normal.

Four-inch soil temperatures were in the upper 40s northeast to upper 50s southwest as of Sunday.