Iowa farmers took advantage of the most days suitable for fieldwork in over a month during the week ending Sept. 21, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. There were 4.7 days suitable for fieldwork statewide, 4.8 days in west central Iowa. Activities for the week included chopping silage and harvesting hay.
Soil moisture levels remained steady during the week across Iowa. Topsoil moisture rated 4 percent short, 80 percent adequate, and 16 percent surplus. In west central Iowa, topsoil moisture rated 1 percent short, 79 percent adequate and 20 percent surplus.
Subsoil moisture levels statewide rated 1 percent very short, 8 percent short, 79 percent adequate, and 12 percent surplus. Ratings in west central Iowa were 3 percent short, 82 percent adequate and 15 percent surplus.
Ninety-two percent of Iowa’s corn crop was in or beyond the dent stage, four days ahead of the previous year but three days behind the five-year average. Corn mature reached 37 percent, 10 days behind normal. Corn in west central Iowa is ahead of the state average, with 97 percent in or beyond the dent stage and 55 percent mature. Unchanged from the previous three weeks, 76 percent of the corn acreage was reported in good to excellent condition.
Leaves were turning color on 79 percent of the soybean crop (82 percent in WC Iowa), five days ahead of the previous year but three days behind average. Thirty-four percent of the soybean acreage was dropping leaves (33 percent in WC Iowa), four days ahead of last year, but five days behind normal. Unchanged from last week, 74 percent of the soybean acreage was in good to excellent condition.
The third cutting of alfalfa hay was 80 percent complete, the lowest percent complete by this date in over 20 years. Pasture condition rated 67 percent good to excellent.
Iowa preliminary weather summary by Harry Hillaker, state climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship: A pair of weather systems brought light to moderate rain to most of the state on both Monday, Sept. 15, and Friday, Sept. 19. Dry weather prevailed across most of Iowa the other days of the week. Weekly rain totals varied from only 0.02 inches in northeastern Washington County to 1.85 inches at the Spencer airport.
Volunteer weather observer John Beltz reported .19 inch of rain in Jefferson during the 24 hours preceding 7 am Sept. 13.
The statewide average precipitation for the week was 0.58 inches, or a little less than the weekly normal of 0.77 inches. This was Iowa’s driest week in seven weeks.
Meanwhile, the week began with unseasonably cool weather with highs mostly in the 60s on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 14-16. Some frost was reported on Tuesday morning with lows down to 33 degrees at Battle Creek, Elkader, Sheldon and Stanley. Much warmer weather arrived Friday and continued through the day on Saturday with a cool front passing through Iowa Saturday night. Sioux City and Little Sioux both reached 90 degrees on Friday afternoon while far eastern Iowa temperatures peaked in the upper 70s on Saturday.
Beltz reported a low temperate of 34 degrees on Sept. 14 and a high temperature of 74 on Sept. 18. The statewide average temperature for the week was 3.0 degrees below normal, with far northwest Iowa averaging one degree above normal while the extreme southeast averaged seven degrees subnormal.
