Northwest Iowa — Although there were 6.1 days suitable for fieldwork statewide last week, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, corn for grain and soybean harvest progress remains behind both the previous year and the five-year average. Besides harvest, other activities included chopping and baling corn stalks, tillage, and manure applications.
This week’s report finds topsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 6 percent short, 84 percent adequate and 9 percent surplus statewide. Here in northwest Iowa topsoil moisture is rated 0 percent very short, 4 percent short, 80 percent adequate, and 16 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels statewide rated 1 percent very short, 4 percent short, 82 percent adequate and 13 percent surplus, while here in our part of the state they are rated 0 percent very short, 3 percent short, 76 percent adequate, and 21 percent surplus.
Statewide 52 percent of the corn crop for grain has been harvested, 4 days behind the five-year average. Here in northwest Iowa just 45 percent of the corn crop for grain is out of the fields. Moisture content of all corn being harvested was at 17 percent, down 1 percentage point from the previous week. Corn condition rated 83 percent good to excellent. Southeast Iowa is the only area of the State with over two-thirds of the corn for grain crop harvested. Seventy-seven percent of the soybean crop has been harvested statewide, more than one week behind last year, and 6 days behind normal. Here in northwest Iowa, the soybean harvest is 86 percent complete. Farmers in southwest and south central Iowa still have over one-half of their soybean crop to harvest.
You can find the complete USDA, National Agriculture Statistics Service report by clicking here.
