DES MOINES — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistical Service. The report is released weekly from April through October.
“Many parts of the state saw some needed rain last week, unfortunately it was accompanied by some severe weather that caused some hail damage to crops. In general, crops remain in pretty good condition, with 78 percent of corn and 74 percent of beans rated good or excellent,” Northey said.
The weekly report is also available on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship's website at www.IowaAgriculture.gov or on USDA's site a www.nass.usda.gov/ia. The report summary follows here:
Crop Report
Warm and windy weather with spotty thunderstorms prevailed across Iowa during the week ending June 18, 2017, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Those isolated storms left some farmers assessing crop damage from strong winds and hail. Statewide there were 5.2 days suitable for fieldwork. Activities for the week included cutting hay, spraying herbicides, nitrogen side-dressing, and re-planting.
Topsoil moisture levels rated 5 percent very short, 22 percent short, 71 percent adequate and 2 percent surplus. Southwestern Iowa reported the highest levels of topsoil moisture with 96 percent adequate to surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 3 percent very short, 15 percent short, 79 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus. Only the northeast and southwest corners of the State saw an increase in subsoil moisture. Many reports mentioned the need for timely rain.
Seventy-eight percent of the corn crop was rated in good to excellent condition. Soybean emergence reached 92 percent, 5 days behind last year but four days ahead of average. Soybean condition rated 74 percent good to excellent. Oats headed reached 67 percent this week, four days behind last year. Oat condition rated 77 percent good to excellent.
The first cutting of alfalfa hay reached 94 percent complete this week and second cutting has begun in many areas. Hay condition remained 83 percent good to excellent. Pasture condition decreased slightly to 69 percent good to excellent. Some livestock stress was reported as a result of the heat.
Weather Summary
By Harry Hillaker, State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship
The week began with unseasonably hot weather with temperatures averaging ten or more degrees above normal on Sunday (11th), Monday (12th) and Tuesday (13th). Temperatures moderated slightly at mid-week but remained well above normal through Saturday (17th). Temperature extremes for the week varied from highs of 97 degrees at Little Sioux on Tuesday (13th) and at Lamoni on Thursday (15th) to Sunday (18th) morning lows of 51 degrees at Chariton and Mount Ayr. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged 8.1 degrees above normal. Showers and thunderstorms were scattered across the state every day. Many areas received some much needed rainfall but a few, mainly in northwest, south central and southeast Iowa saw only light amounts. Weekly rain totals varied from 0.21 inches at Indianola to 4.65 inches at Corning. The statewide average rainfall was 1.40 inches while normal for the week is 1.19 inches. There were isolated severe storms on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The most widespread severe weather occurred across about the southeast one-half of Iowa on Thursday with very large hail reported in Franklin, Marion and Page counties. High winds raked the far west/southwest portions of Iowa on Friday while there were more reports of very large hail from Appanoose and Muscatine counties on Saturday.