Field conditions throughout Iowa improved allowing farmers 5.1 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending Oct. 20, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Fieldwork activities included chopping silage; applying fertilizer and manure; and harvesting hay, seed corn, soybeans, and corn for grain.
Topsoil moisture condition across Iowa was rated 1 percent short, 78 percent adequate and 21 percent surplus. Ratings in west central Iowa were 1 percent short, 81 percent adequate and 18 percent surplus.
Subsoil moisture condition statewide was rated 2 percent short, 78 percent adequate and 20 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture conditions in west central Iowa were rated 81 percent adequate and 19 percent surplus.
Eighty-seven percent of the corn crop has reached maturity, three weeks behind last year and more than two weeks behind the 5-year average. Fifteen percent of the crop has been harvested for grain, 11 days behind average. Corn condition rated 66 percent good to excellent.
Ninety-four percent of the soybean crop has begun dropping leaves or beyond, nine days behind average. More than 30 percent of the State’s expected soybean crop was harvested during the week ending Oct. 20. This brought the total harvested to 48 percent statewide, four days ahead of last year but five days behind average. This marks the first time the 2019 soybean crop has been ahead of the 2018 soybean crop; harvest of last year’s crop was also behind average due to wet field conditions. Soybean condition rated 65 percent good to excellent.
The third cutting of alfalfa hay is nearly complete at 97 percent, almost 3 weeks behind average. Pasture condition improved from the previous week to 50 percent good to excellent which was the highest rating since the first week of August. Feedlots remain muddy.
Iowa preliminary weather summary provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., state climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship – A notable pattern shift away from the recent active weather pattern to dominant high pressure systems across the Midwest brought unseasonably dry conditions across Iowa during the reporting period. Statewide precipitation departures were generally 0.60 to 0.80 inch below normal. Cooler than normal conditions also continued across Iowa with temperature departures up to six degrees below average. The statewide average temperature was 48.0 degrees, 2.8 degrees colder than expected.
Cloud cover gradually cleared from southwest to northeast through the afternoon and evening hours on Sunday, Oct. 13. Clear skies in southern Iowa allowed high temperatures to reach into the upper 50s and lower 60s. Temperatures across the rest of Iowa remained in the mid to upper 40s, up to 20 degrees below normal. The statewide average high was 51 degrees, 12 degrees cooler than expected.
Overnight lows into Monday also remained below average as skies completely cleared. Calm winds across northern Iowa helped temperatures dip into the upper 20s and low 30s while southern Iowa experienced lows in the mid 30s. With high pressure dominating the Upper Midwest, southerly winds and clear skies produced pleasant conditions. Some stations in southwestern Iowa reported highs in the low 70s with upper 50s and low to mid 60s prevailing across the rest of the state.
A weak low pressure system propagated across northern Iowa into Minnesota on Tuesday, Oct. 15. The attendant cold front swept across the state, producing gusty northwest winds. Daytime temperatures remained in the low 50s north to upper 50s south. Wednesday was an unseasonably cool day statewide as a cold air mass sat over Iowa. Cloudy skies and northwesterly winds held daytime temperatures in the mid to upper 40s with low 50s in southeastern Iowa. Skies cleared into Thursday as another high pressure system moved into Iowa allowing highs to reach into the 60s across the state. Overnight lows dropped into the mid to upper 40s, up to 11 degrees below normal
Friday, Oct. 18, was an unseasonably warm day under sunny skies. High temperatures reached in the low to mid 70s, up to 16 degrees warmer than expected with the average statewide high of 70 degrees. Strong and sustained southerly winds were in the general range of 20 to 30 mph with gusts topping 40 mph; Shenandoah Municipal Airport (Page County) reported a peak wind gust of 45 mph.
Winds shifted to a northerly direction during late evening and overnight into Saturday, Oct. 19, as a cold front began pushing through Iowa. Light rain showers accompanied the front, bringing the first measurable rainfall of the reporting period to Iowa’s western half. Totals at 7 am ranged from 0.10 inch across many stations to 0.26 inch in Corning (Adams County). The front cleared the state during the evening hours. Clearing conditions behind the system allowed highs to reach into the mid 60s across western Iowa with temperatures in the mid to upper 50s where cloud cover was present.
Weekly precipitation totals ranged from no accumulation at multiple stations to 0.59 inch at Ames Municipal Airport (Story County). The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.12 inch, while the normal is 0.56 inch. The week’s high temperature of 78 degrees was reported on Oct.18 at Little Sioux (Harrison County), 15 degrees above average. Multiple stations across northern Iowa reported the week’s low temperature of 24 degrees on Oct. 14. This reading was on average 15 degrees below normal.
