Despite six days suitable for fieldwork statewide during the week ending Nov. 6, corn for grain and soybean harvest progress remains behind both the previous year and the five-year average, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. A wide variety of activities were performed during the week, including chopping and baling corn stalks, tillage, tiling, and manure and fertilizer applications. Corn for grain continued to be piled outside as storage becomes tighter.
Topsoil moisture levels statewide rated 1 percent very short, 7 percent short, 85 percent adequate and 7 percent surplus. Levels in west central Iowa were 2 percent very short, 7 percent short, 87 percent adequate and 4 percent surplus.
Subsoil moisture levels statewide rated 1 percent very short, 5 percent short, 83 percent adequate and 11 percent surplus. Levels in west central Iowa were 5 percent short, 74 percent adequate and 10 percent surplus.
Eighty-six percent of the corn crop for grain has been harvested (85 percent in WC Iowa), four days behind last year and one day behind the five-year average. Moisture content of all corn for grain being harvested in Iowa dropped to 16 percent.
Ninety-five percent of the soybean crop has been harvested (98 percent in WC Iowa), one week behind last year, and five days behind normal. Corn and soybean harvest in southwest and south central Iowa continues to lag behind the rest of the State.
Grain movement from farm to elevator was rated 62 percent moderate to heavy. Off-farm grain storage availability was rated 69 percent adequate to surplus. On-farm grain storage availability was rated 62 percent adequate to surplus.
Iowa preliminary weather summary by Harry Hillaker, state climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship – It was an exceptionally mild week across Iowa with temperatures averaging well above normal every day resulting in weekly temperatures of 12.4 degrees above normal.
Afternoon high temperatures reached 70 degrees or higher somewhere in the state every day of the week with Donnellson recording the highest temperature at 81 degrees on Tuesday, Nov. 1. A handful of locations barely dipped below the freezing mark on Thursday and Friday mornings Nov. 3, 4). Battle Creek reported the lowest temperature with 30 degrees on Thursday morning.
The only rain of consequence came Tuesday night into Wednesday afternoon when showers and thunderstorms were widespread over the southeast one-half of Iowa. A few locations picked up more than an inch of rain during this mid-week event but most places saw less than one-quarter inch. There was also some scattered drizzle or very light rain over portions of northern and western Iowa on Monday, Oct. 31.
Donnellson reported the most rain for the week with 1.61 inches while most of the northwest one-half of the state, plus small areas of southwest and south central Iowa saw no measurable rain. The statewide average precipitation was 0.17 inches while normal for the week is 0.55 inches. Finally, soil temperatures at the four inch depth were averaging near 50 degrees in extreme northwest Iowa to the upper 50s in the southeast corner as of Sunday, Nov. 6.
