Hot and humid weather throughout Iowa aided crop development for the week ending July 19, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Statewide there were 4.5 days suitable for fieldwork. Activities for the week included cutting hay and fungicide application to corn. Tasseling corn was reported throughout the state.
Topsoil moisture levels statewide rated 4 percent short, 79 percent adequate and 17 percent surplus. In west central Iowa topsoil moisture levels rated 3 percent short, 88 percent adequate and 9 percent surplus.
Subsoil moisture levels statewide rated 4 percent short, 78 percent adequate and 18 percent surplus. Ratings in west central Iowa were 2 percent short, 90 percent adequate and 8 percent surplus.
More than half the corn crop reached the silking stage (54 percent in west central Iowa), with 83 percent rated good to excellent. Soybeans blooming or beyond reached 62 percent (61 percent), slightly behind 2014, but equal to normal. Fifteen percent of soybeans were setting pods. Soybean condition rated 77 percent good to excellent this week.
The first cutting of alfalfa hay made little progress, advancing just 1 percentage point to 95 percent complete. The second cutting reached 53 percent, slightly ahead of last year, but five days behind normal. Hay condition was rated at 69 percent good to excellent, while pasture condition rated 78 percent good to excellent. Livestock stress levels increased as temperatures and humidity remained high throughout the week.
Iowa preliminary weather summary by Harry Hillaker, state climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship: Hot and humid weather dominated Iowa for much of the reporting week. The hottest weather occurred on Monday, July 13, and Friday, July 17, while temperatures slipped below normal in some areas on Wednesday, July 15, and Sunday, July 19. The combination of heat and humidity pushed official heat indices to 111 degrees at Burlington on Monday and 110 degrees on Friday while unofficial readings went even higher elsewhere over southern Iowa. Actual temperatures peaked at 97 degrees at Des Moines on Monday and also at Bellevue, Lamoni and Osceola on Friday. Lowest temperatures were sunrise readings of 56 degrees at Cresco on Wednesday and at Estherville on Sunday.
Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged 3.3 degrees above normal.
Most of the week’s rain fell between late Wednesday morning and Friday morning with heavy rains of two inches or more falling over most of the southern one-third of the state, as well as some west central sections of Iowa. Otherwise there were some scattered showers and thunderstorms over the northeast and southwest corners of Iowa on Monday. Light to occasionally moderate rain also fell over far northern, western and southern Iowa on Saturday, July 18. Finally, thunderstorms brought rain to far southern Iowa on Sunday morning.
Weekly rain totals varied from 0.17 inches at Bellevue to 5.61 inches at Clarinda. The statewide average rainfall was 1.30 inches while normal for the week is 1.02 inches.
