A windy, warm, and mostly dry week aided crop maturity for the week ending Sept. 20, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Statewide there were 4.8 days suitable for fieldwork. Fieldwork for the week included harvesting seed corn, chopping silage, cutting hay, and reports of scattered corn for grain and soybean harvest. Farmers were also preparing farm equipment for the upcoming harvest. Reports indicated seed corn harvest was wrapping up, and corn harvested for grain has had widely varying moisture content.
Topsoil moisture levels statewide rated 3 percent short, 86 percent adequate and 11 percent surplus. Ratings in west central Iowa were 1 percent short, 86 percent adequate and 13 percent surplus.
Subsoil moisture levels statewide rated 6 percent short, 82 percent adequate and 12 percent surplus. Ratings in west central Iowa were 1 percent short, 85 percent adequate and 14 percent surplus.
Ninety-five percent of the corn crop was in the dent stage or beyond, with 49 percent mature, five days ahead of last year, but five days behind the 5-year average. In west central Iowa, 98 percent was in the dent stage or beyond but only 42 percent was mature. Corn condition statewide rated 79 percent good to excellent.
Eighty-three percent of soybeans were starting to turn color or beyond, while 48 percent of soybeans were dropping leaves, five days ahead of 2014, and two days ahead of normal. In west central Iowa, 86 percent of soybeans were coloring and 44 percent were dropping leaves. Soybean condition statewide rated 76 percent good to excellent.
The third cutting of alfalfa hay was 89 percent complete, one week ahead of last year, but a week behind the average. Pasture condition rated 67 percent good to excellent. Livestock conditions were reported as good.
Iowa preliminary weather summary by Harry Hillaker, state climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship – The past reporting week began with dry and unseasonably warm and windy weather. Daytime high temperatures were mostly in the 80s through Thursday, Sept. 17. There were a few scattered very light rain showers on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but no accumulations of consequence. Rain was widespread on Thursday and Friday with rain totals of two inches or more common from southwest into east central Iowa.
Dry weather returned for the weekend. Daytime highs cooled to the low 60s northwest to the mid 70s southeast on Friday, were near 70 on Saturday and mostly mid 70s on Sunday, Sept. 20.
Temperature extremes varied from afternoon highs of 92 degrees at Burlington and Donnellson on Thursday to morning lows of 39 degrees at Sibley on Saturday, Sept. 19, and 38 degrees at Elkader on Sunday. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged 4.7 degrees above normal.
Rain totals varied from only 0.03 inches at Little Sioux to 4.22 inches at North English and 4.10 inches at Lost Nation. The statewide average precipitation was 1.18 inches while normal for the week is 0.77 inches. Finally, there were also several reports of hail Thursday evening across southeastern Iowa, roughly along a Davis to Scott County line.
