“Make hay while the sun shines” was not the rule in Iowa last week. According to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, farmers in Iowa are struggling to get their first cutting of alfalfa hay, advancing only 5 percentage points from last week. The first cutting was 95 percent complete, falling slightly behind both last year and average. The second cutting of alfalfa was 12 percent complete, two days ahead of last year but almost two weeks behind normal.
The cause? More rain! Above average precipitation limited fieldwork to just 2.6 days for the week ending July 6, making it the third consecutive week with less than 3.0 days suitable for fieldwork. The story was not different in west central Iowa, where farmers had 2.7 days suitable for fieldwork.
Topsoil moisture levels statewide rated 2 percent short, 61 percent adequate and 37 percent surplus. Topsoil in west central Iowa rated 1 percent short, 69 percent adequate and 30 percent surplus.
Subsoil moisture levels statewide rated 1 percent very short (southwest and south central Iowa), 7 percent short, 67 percent adequate and 25 percent surplus. In west central Iowa subsoil moisture levels rated 2 very short, 15 percent short, 70 percent adequate and 13 percent surplus.
There were scattered reports of corn silking across the state. Seventy-six percent of the corn crop was reported in good to excellent condition, a decrease of 3 percentage points. Twenty-one percent of the soybean acreage was blooming, 11 days ahead of last year but 2 days behind normal. Decreasing 2 percentage points from last week 73 percent of the soybean crop was rated in good to excellent condition.
Weather summary, Harry Hillaker, IDALS state climatologist: Heavy rains fell across Iowa for the third consecutive week. Most of the rain fell in two periods, with the heavier rain falling Sunday night (June 29) into Monday evening. The second event began over northwest Iowa late Friday (July 4) and continued into Saturday afternoon (July 5). High winds and/or large hail were reported from 24 counties on June 29 and from 41 counties on June 30, with every county between Interstate 80 and Highway 20 reporting severe weather on June 29 and/or June 30.
That earlier event focused on east central Iowa. Center Junction in Jones County received 7.63 inches of rain. Volunteer weather observer John Beltz reports Jefferson received 1.62 inches of rain June 29-30. Beltz’s rainfall totals for July 5 are not yet available.
Weekly rain totals varied from 0.15 inches at Estherville and 0.16 at Rock Rapids to 7.72 inches near Center Junction and 6.96 inches at Muscatine. The statewide average rainfall was 2.49 inches, more than double the weekly normal of 1.09 inches.
Temperatures were slightly above normal early in the week and then unseasonably cool later in the week. At Lake Rathbun the Wednesday afternoon high of 62 degrees tied for the lowest July daytime high since 1970. Temperatures varied from afternoon highs of 89 degrees at Bloomfield and Keokuk on Monday (June 30) and also at Sibley on July 5, to lows of 45 degrees reported at Battle Creek in Ida County and Stanley in Buchanan County on Thursday morning. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged 5.8 degrees below normal.
