Warmer temperatures and plenty of sunshine improved field conditions in Iowa during the week ending June 7, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Farmers were able to continue planting, while finally getting into previously wet fields to apply herbicide and side dress nitrogen. Statewide there were 4.3 days suitable for fieldwork, allowing farmers to harvest almost a third of the first cutting of alfalfa hay. Reports out of western Iowa stated that grain movement is fairly strong and many farmers are hauling out their old crop.
Topsoil moisture levels statewide rated 3 percent short, 78 percent adequate and 19 percent surplus. Ratings in west central Iowa were 2 percent short, 85 percent adequate and 13 percent surplus.
Subsoil moisture levels statewide rated 5 percent short, 81 percent adequate and 14 percent surplus. Ratings in west central Iowa were 3 percent short, 86 percent adequate and 11 percent surplus. South central Iowa had the highest topsoil moisture level at 100 percent rated adequate to surplus. North central Iowa reported the highest subsoil moisture levels rated at 99 percent adequate to surplus.
Ninety-six percent of the corn crop has emerged (98 percent in WC Iowa), four days ahead of the 5-year average. Eighty-two percent of the corn crop was rated good to excellent. Soybean planting reached 88 percent complete (91 percent in WC Iowa), nine days behind 2014, and one day behind average. Southwest and south central Iowa continued to lag behind in the planting of their expected soybean acreage with only 51 and 65 percent of their soybean crop in the ground, respectively.
Soybean emergence reached 71 percent statewide and in west central Iowa, four days behind last year. The first soybean condition rating of the season came in at 2 percent poor, 18 percent fair, 67 percent good, and 13 percent excellent.
The first cutting of alfalfa hay went from a week behind normal to even with the 5-year average this week and now stands at 49 percent complete (42 percent in WC Iowa). Hay conditions rated 81 percent good to excellent. Pasture condition improved to 79 percent good to excellent. Livestock experienced little stress.
Iowa preliminary weather summary by Harry Hillaker, state climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship: The reporting week began with dry and unseasonably cool weather with overnight low temperatures mostly in the 40s and lower 50s on Monday and Tuesday, June 1-2. Heat and humidity gradually increased over the remainder of the week.
Showers and thunderstorms were scattered over the west two-thirds of the state on Wednesday with heaviest rains over the far southwest with a few amounts over an inch. Thursday, Friday and Saturday were dry in most areas although there were a few very isolated thunderstorms, particularly near Chariton on Friday night.
Nearly all of the week’s rain fell Saturday night into Sunday morning, June 7, with just a few south central and southwest locations missing the weekend rains. One to two inches of rain fell with the heaviest thunderstorms across central and northern Iowa with these weekend rains, along with many high wind reports in west central into central Iowa. Thunderstorms also developed Sunday afternoon over parts of far southern Iowa with localized heavy rain and high winds. However, these last storms occurred too late to be reflected in this week’s statistics.
Temperature extremes ranged from a Monday morning low of 36 degrees at Elkader to a Thursday afternoon high of 88 degrees at Vinton. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged from one degree below normal in the extreme southeast to four degrees above normal in the far northwest with a statewide average of 1.6 degrees above normal.
Weekly rain totals varied from only 0.08 inches at Fort Madison (however heavy rains fell just after the reporting period at Fort Madison) to 2.56 inches near Harcourt in Webster County. The statewide average precipitation was 0.72 inches while normal for the week is 1.17 inches.
