West central Iowa leads the state in corn in the silking stage, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Eighty-five percent of the state’s corn acreage was at or beyond the silking stage as of Sunday, just over two weeks ahead of the previous year and almost one week ahead of the five year average. Ninety-four percent of the corn in Iowa was that, with central Iowa right behind with 93 percent. Corn in northwest Iowa is lagging, at only 72 percent in the silking stage.
Statewide, 78 percent of the corn was reported in good to excellent condition.
Soybeans progressed to 82 percent blooming or beyond (93 percent in west central Iowa), 10 days ahead of last year and just ahead of average. Forty-one percent (45 percent in west central Iowa) of the soybean crop was setting pods, well ahead of last year’s 12 percent at this time. Seventy-four percent of the soybean crop was rated in good to excellent condition.
The weather was dry, giving farmers 5.8 days suitable for fieldwork statewide. Farmers in west central Iowa were just shy of having an entire week, with 6.9 days suitable.
The dry weather was accompanied by loss of soil moisture, although only slightly from last week. Statewide, topsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 12 percent short, 81 percent adequate and 6 percent surplus. Those levels in west central Iowa were 1 percent very short, 18 percent short, 73 percent adequate and 4 percent surplus.
Subsoil moisture levels statewide rated 1 percent very short, 9 percent short, 84 percent adequate and 6 percent surplus. In west central Iowa subsoil moisture was rated 2 percent very short, 15 percent short, 79 percent adequate and 4 percent surplus.
Preliminary weather summary, IDALS state climatologist Harry Hillaker: Very warm and humid conditions prevailed Monday and Tuesday (July 21-22) and also over southwestern Iowa Friday and Saturday (July 25-26). Actual temperatures reached as high as 98 degrees at Sidney on Monday with the heat index at 117 in Audubon. A cooler air mass allowed temperatures to fall to 51 degrees at Mason City and Elkader Thursday morning. Warm air quickly returned to southwest Iowa, with Sidney reporting 102 degrees and Shenandoah reporting a heat index of 117 on Friday.
Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged from two to four degrees below normal over southeast Iowa to about two degrees above normal over southwest Iowa. In Jefferson, temperatures ranged from a high of 88 degrees on Tuesday to a low of 57 degrees reported by volunteer weather observer John Beltz for Friday (July 19), Thursday and Friday. July as a whole will likely go into the record books among the 10 coolest July’s of record.
Rain fell across much of the southeast one-third of Iowa on Tuesday, with Fairfield receiving the most at 1.12 inches. Southwestern Iowa got rain Thursday into Friday, with 3.47 inches reported near Rowan in Wright County. No rain fell during the week over much of southwest and south central Iowa. Beltz reported Jefferson received 0.10 inches of rain early Friday morning. The statewide average precipitation was 0.59 inches; normal for the week is 0.98 inches.
