Precipitation and temperatures were below normal in Iowa last week, and farmers took advantage of that, harvesting more than 30 percent of their alfalfa hay acreage. Statewide there were 5.4 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. West central Iowa farmers had 5.8 suitable days.
Topsoil moisture levels across Iowa rated 2 percent very short, 14 percent short, 78 percent adequate and 6 percent surplus. In west central Iowa, topsoil moisture levels rated 2 percent very short, 11 percent short, 80 percent adequate and 7 percent surplus.
Subsoil moisture levels statewide rated 4 percent very short, 23 percent short, 70 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus. Ratings in west central Iowa were 5 percent very short, 35 percent short, 52 percent adequate and 8 percent surplus.
South central Iowa is the wettest in regards to topsoil, with 23 percent rated as surplus, but west central Iowa has the wettest subsoil.
Corn condition rated 1 percent very poor, 2 percent poor, 14 percent fair, 63 percent good and 20 percent excellent. Ninety-five percent of the soybean crop has emerged, 41 percentage points ahead of last year and 9 percentage points ahead of the five year average. Soybean condition rated 2 percent very poor, 3 percent poor, 16 percent fair, 61 percent good and 18 percent excellent.
Preliminary weather summary, Harry Hillaker, IDALS state climatologist: Iowa experienced an unseasonably cool week (ending July 13) with highly variable rain amounts. There was no measurable rain across portions of central Iowa including Des Moines, Indianola, Ames, Marshalltown, Waterloo and Manchester.
Volunteer weather observer John Beltz reported no rain in Jefferson July 7-11. (His reporting week ends Friday at 6 am, so the inch or so of rain Friday night that forced cancellation of the tractor pull at the Greene County Fair will be on next week’s report.)
Northwest Iowa received considerable rain. Rock Rapids reported 6.88 inches, and Correctionville, Holly Springs, and the airports at Sioux City and Storm Lake all reported more than 6 inches of rain.
The statewide average precipitation was 0.67 inches of rain; the weekly normal is 1.19 inches.
Temperatures were below normal except in western Iowa on Wednesday. Temperatures ranged from a high of 85 degrees to morning lows in the 40s. The morning low in Battle Creek and Sioux City was 38 and 39 degrees respectively on Friday (July 13). The highest temperature Beltz reported for Jefferson was 89 degrees Sunday (the 24 hour period ending at 6 am Monday). Temperatures were cooler than usual for the county fair, with the high temperature 84 degrees on July 8. Low temperatures in Jefferson were in a narrow range between 57 and 65 degrees.
Temperatures statewide for the week as a whole averaged 4.1 degrees below normal.
