Rain and snow early in the week along with cooler temperatures limited Iowa farmers to 5.3 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending Nov. 1, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Fieldwork activities reported included harvesting corn and soybeans, baling corn stalks, applying fertilizer and manure, moving grain to town and tillage.
Topsoil moisture condition across Iowa rated 13 percent very short, 28 percent short, 58 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. Ratings in west central Iowa were 25 percent very short, 49 percent short, and 26 percent adequate.
Subsoil moisture condition statewide rated 19 percent very short, 34 percent short, 46 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. In west central Iowa ratings were 50 percent very short, 39 percent short and 11 percent adequate.
Only 13 percent of Iowa’s corn for grain crop remains to be harvested, longer than three weeks ahead of last year and 13 days ahead of the 5-year average. Statewide, the moisture content of field corn being harvested for grain fell 1 percentage point to 15 percent. Farmers in northwest, north central and west central Iowa have less than 10 percent of their corn for grain remaining to be harvested while farmers in south central Iowa still have more than 30 percent to be harvested.
Only 3 percent of Iowa’s soybean crop remains to be harvested, just longer than three weeks ahead of last year and two weeks ahead of average. Farmers in northwest, north central and west central Iowa have few fields left to harvest with 1 percent or less of their soybeans remaining. In contrast, farmers in the southern one-third of the state have 9-10 percent of their soybeans left to be harvested.
Livestock producers continue to allow cattle to graze on corn stalks.
Iowa preliminary weather summary provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., state climatologist Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship – Colder than average temperatures persisted across Iowa during the reporting period with much of western Iowa reporting weekly negative departures of up to 16 degrees. The statewide average temperature was 35.4 degrees, 12.0 degrees colder than normal. Besides light snow falling across much of the state early in the week, unseasonably dry conditions prevailed over Iowa with the driest conditions reported in eastern Iowa. Precipitation departures of up to 0.70 inch were observed in the state’s southeast corner.
Overcast, cold and windy conditions persisted into Sunday, Oct. 25, as light snow fell across northwest Iowa. Daytime highs ranged from the upper 20s northwest to low 40s southeast. The system continued to move through Iowa overnight into Monday with at least an inch of snow reported at many stations in the state’s western half. Higher totals were reported in the northwest quadrant with Pocahontas (Pocahontas County) measuring 2.4 inches while Sibley (Osceola County) observed 5.6 inches. Totals tapered off in eastern Iowa with accumulations generally under 0.25 inch. Afternoon temperatures remained well below normal under partly sunny skies and light northerly winds.
Morning lows reported on Tuesday, Oct. 27, were frigid across northern Iowa with single digits observed at multiple stations; temperatures in eastern Iowa remained in the upper 20s and low 30s with a statewide average low of 21 degrees, 15 degrees below normal. Skies cleared into Wednesday as winds shifted to a southerly direction, pushing relatively warmer air into the state. While still unseasonably cool, temperatures reached into the upper 30s and low 40s across much of Iowa.
Thursday, Oct. 29, saw persistent cloud cover over much of central and eastern Iowa with afternoon peeks of sunshine and temperatures finally warming into the 50s. A weak cold front dropped southeast through Iowa over the rest of the day shifting winds to a northerly direction during the late evening hours as the front passed.
Gusty winds developed overnight into Friday with morning lows dipping into the low 30s northwest to low 40s southeast. Clouds cleared from west to east through the day as a high pressure center dominated the upper Midwest.
Southwesterly winds on the backside of the high were somewhat gusty and increased into Saturday morning, Oct. 31, as a low pressure system approached from the west. The low’s attendant warm front pushed northeast through Iowa during the afternoon hours, lending to pleasant and seasonal temperatures. Highs across the state’s southern half reached into the upper 60s with a statewide average high of 64 degrees, 10 degrees above normal. A close, secondary high pressure system moved in behind the low pressure over the upper Midwest forcing strong and gusty northwesterly winds under clear skies. Morning lows reported at 7:00 am on Sunday, Nov. 1, ranged from the upper 20s in northwest Iowa to mid 30s in the southeast.
Weekly precipitation totals ranged from no accumulation at several stations in northeastern Iowa to 0.45 inch at Mapleton No. 2 (Monona County). The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.08 inches, while the normal is 0.51 inch. Donnellson (Lee County) and Lamoni (Decatur County) reported the week’s high temperature of 69 degrees on Oct. 31, on average 12 degrees above normal. Estherville Municipal Airport (Emmet County) reported the week’s low temperature of 5 degrees on Oct. 27, 27 degrees below normal.
