Iowa farmers had a week to make hay while the sun shone and that’s what they did. The UDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service reported that statewide Iowa farmers had 6.3 days suitable for field work and that more than one-quarter of the second cutting of alfalfa hay was harvested during the week that ended July 20. All together, 54 percent of the second cutting has been done, two days ahead of last year but six days behind normal.
The days suitable for field work was the highest number this season, topping the 5.3 days suitable in late May. In west central Iowa, farmers had 6.7 days suitable.
With the sunny, dry days, moisture levels declined. Statewide, topsoil moisture levels rated 7 percent short, 82 percent adequate and 11 percent surplus. Ratings in west central Iowa were 1 percent very short, 7 percent short, 80 percent adequate and 12 percent surplus.
Subsoil moisture levels statewide were rated 1 percent very short, 7 percent short, 82 percent adequate and 10 percent surplus. In west central Iowa subsoil moisture levels were rated 2 percent very short, 12 percent short, 80 percent adequate and 6 percent surplus.
Across the state, 59 percent of the corn acreage was silking, 11 days ahead of last year and two days ahead of the five-year average. Seventy-seven percent of the corn was reported in good to excellent condition.
Blooming was evident in 67 percent of the soybean acreage, more than double the percent last year at this time. Nineteen percent of the soybean crop was setting pods, well ahead of last year’s 2 percent. Seventy-two percent of the soybean crop was rated in good to excellent condition.
Preliminary weather summary, Harry Hillaker, IDALS state climatologist: It was an unseasonably cool and dry week in Iowa. Temperatures were below normal every day of the week, and the month vies with 2009 as the coolest start to July in the past 120 years.
Temperature extremes were a high of 90 degrees at Sidney on Sunday (July 13) to a low of 44 degrees at Stanley in Buchanan County and Little Sioux on Wednesday. Temperatures in Jefferson ranged from a high of 82 degrees Monday (July 14) to a low of 50 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday, according to volunteer weather observer John Beltz. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged 7.8 degrees below normal.
Beltz reported 1.82 inches of rain in the 24 hours ending Saturday (July 12) at 6 am. That was enough rain to cancel the tractor pull slated for Saturday evening at the Greene County Fair. He reported a total of 1.91 inches for the week ending July 18 at 6 am, with all of that coming July 12-14.
IDALS ends its reporting week on Sunday. During the week that ended July 20, the greatest reported rainfall was 0.42 inches near Calamus in Clinton County. About half the state received no precipitation. The statewide average precipitation was 0.03 inches, while normal for the week is 1.02 inches. This was Iowa’s driest reporting week in 34 weeks (late November 2013).
