Farmers taking advantage of dry weather this week
Fieldwork stalled early in the week ending Oct. 19 due to rain, but farmers were able to harvest during the rest of the week, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Statewide there were 4.2 days suitable for fieldwork, 4.7 days in west central Iowa. Most farmers reported harvesting soybeans while waiting for corn to dry down in the fields. Activities for the week included fall tillage, manure and fertilizer application, biomass baling, and hauling grain.
Topsoil moisture levels statewide rated 4 percent short, 78 percent adequate, and 18 percent surplus. In west central Iowa, the ratings were 81 percent adequate and 19 percent surplus.
Subsoil moisture levels statewide rated 1 percent very short, 5 percent short, 80 percent adequate, and 14 percent surplus. Southwest and south central Iowa were the wettest with over one-third of their topsoil in surplus condition. Ratings in west central Iowa were 82 percent adequate and 18 percent surplus.
Ninety-six percent of Iowa’s corn acreage was mature as of Oct. 19, three days behind the five-year average. Corn harvest advanced 9 percentage points to 19 percent complete, 18 days behind the normal pace. Moisture content of corn at harvest was estimated at 21 percent. In west central Iowa, 99 percent of the corn was reported as mature with 13 percent harvested for grain. Statewide, 77 percent of the corn crop was reported in good to excellent condition.
With almost the entire soybean crop dropping leaves or beyond, harvest reached 61 percent complete, 9 days behind normal. Seventy-four percent of the soybean acreage was in good to excellent condition. West central producers are a little behind the pace, having harvested 59 percent of the bean acres as of Oct. 19.
Grain movement from farm to elevator was rated 55 percent moderate to heavy, increasing 8 percentage points from the previous week. Off-farm grain storage availability was 92 percent adequate to surplus. On-farm grain storage availability was 87 percent adequate to surplus.
Pasture and hay have had excellent regrowth this fall with plenty of rain and cooler than normal temperatures. Pasture condition remained steady at 66 percent good to excellent, while hay and roughage supplies were estimated at 97 percent adequate to surplus. Livestock conditions were reported as ideal.
Iowa preliminary weather summary: by Harry Hillaker, state climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship
Light rain fell nearly statewide on Sunday, Oct. 12, with moderate to heavy rain falling across the southeast two-thirds of Iowa on Monday and into Tuesday, Oct. 13-14. The remainder of the week was dry excepting some scattered very light rain over the northeast on Friday, Oct 17. Weekly rainfall amounts varied from just a trace at Spencer and Estherville to 4.61 inches at Pella. The statewide average precipitation was 1.50 inches or nearly triple the weekly normal of 0.56 inches. Volunteer weather observer John Beltz reported Jefferson received 1.04 inches of rain during the week that ended Oct. 17, with .97 of that falling Monday into Tuesday.
Temperatures were near seasonal averages for the week with cooler than normal weather on Sunday, Oct 12, and Saturday, Oct. 18, and slightly higher than normal temperatures during the work week. Temperature extremes varied from morning lows of 28 degrees at Sheldon on Wednesday and 27 degrees at Elkader on Sunday, Oct. 19, to a Thursday afternoon high of 78 degrees at Sioux City. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged from 3 degrees above normal over the far northwest to two degrees below normal over the far southeast with a statewide average of 0.2 degrees above normal. Beltz reported a low temperature of 31 degrees on Oct. 12 and a high temperature of 74 degrees on Oct. 17.
Soil temperatures at the four inch depth as of Sunday, Oct. 19, were averaging in the low to mid 50s statewide and are expected to remain in the 50s for the coming week.
