Mostly dry weather allowed farmers to harvest 30 percent of Iowa’s soybean acreage during the 5.1 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Oct. 12, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Muddy fields, especially in low spots, have slowed harvest across Iowa. Activities for the week included fall tillage and the spread of manure on harvested fields. Cover crops have started to emerge across the state.
Topsoil moisture levels statewide rated 4 percent short, 78 percent adequate, and 18 percent surplus. In west central Iowa, topsoil moisture was rated 75 percent adequate and 25 percent surplus.
Subsoil moisture levels statewide rated 1 percent very short, 7 percent short, 80 percent adequate, and 12 percent surplus. Southwest Iowa was the wettest with just under half of its topsoil in surplus condition. In west central Iowa, subsoil moisture was rated 82 percent adequate and 18 percent surplus.
Ninety percent of Iowa’s corn acreage was mature, four days behind the five-year average. Corn harvest reached 10 percent, almost three weeks behind the normal pace. In west central Iowa, 7 percent of the corn acreage had been harvested as of Oct. 12. Moisture content of corn at harvest remained high at 23 percent, contributing to the slower than normal progress. Seventy-six percent of the corn crop was reported in good to excellent condition.
Ninety-five percent of the soybean crop was dropping leaves or beyond. Soybean harvest advanced rapidly to 39 percent complete, just over one week behind normal. West central Iowa farmers are lagging in the bean harvest, with 27 percent of harvest complete as of Oct. 12. Seventy-four percent of the soybean acreage was in good to excellent condition.
Grain movement from farm to elevator was rated 15 percent none, 38 percent light, 32 percent moderate, and 15 percent heavy. Off-farm grain storage availability was 8 percent short, 80 percent adequate, and 12 percent surplus. On-farm grain storage availability was 13 percent short, 79 percent adequate, and 8 percent surplus.
The third cutting of alfalfa hay was nearing completion, while hay and roughage supplies were estimated at 2 percent short, 82 percent adequate, and 16 percent surplus. Pasture condition rated 66 percent good to excellent. Livestock conditions have been optimal. Calves were being weaned.
Iowa preliminary weather summary, by Harry Hillaker, state climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship: It was a relatively cool and dry week across Iowa. Very light rain was scattered across Iowa on Sunday night (Oct. 5) and across northeast and far eastern Iowa on Tuesday (Oct. 7). Rain fell nearly statewide on Wednesday night. However, rainfall of more than one-half inch was confined to a narrow band from Monona County east-southeast to Louisa County.
Weekly rain totals varied from none over far northeastern Iowa to 1.10 inches at Bagley in Guthrie County. Volunteer weather observer John Beltz noted .37 inches of rain during the week that ended Friday morning, Oct. 10.
The statewide average precipitation was 0.16 inches, or about one-fourth of the weekly normal of 0.60 inches. This was Iowa’s driest week in 11 weeks.
Much of northern Iowa recorded a hard freeze on Saturday morning (Oct. 11), with minimum temperatures as low as 25 degrees at Elkader, Mason City and Sheldon. There were also scattered freezes on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings. However, large portions of central and southeast Iowa have yet to record a killing freeze this fall. Temperatures edged slightly above normal in some areas on Tuesday and Wednesday with Burlington the warm spot in the state with a 75 degree maximum on Tuesday afternoon. Beltz reported a low temperature of 33 degrees on Oct. 5 and a high temperature of 68 degrees on Oct. 9.
