Northwest Iowa — The maturity of the state’s corn crop is pretty closely tracking the five-year average.
The latest USDA Crop Report says the precip in parts of the state limited fieldwork somewhat, but was good for the crops. Here’s the USDA’s Melissa Bond.
She says the crops continue to mature.
Closer to home, here in the northwest reporting district, 19 percent of the cropland was very short on topsoil moisture. 48 percent was rated short. 31 was reported as adequate, and two percent surplus. A little deeper, subsoil moisture was 31 percent very short, 39 percent short, 27 percent adequate, and three percent surplus.
Up here, 92 percent of the corn is in the dough stage, and 47 percent has dented. 96 percent of soybeans have set pods, and 8 percent are coloring.
The six-to-ten day forecast calls for a good chance of above normal temperatures and a good chance of below normal precipitation. Normal highs for this time of year are around 80, with normal lows in the lower to mid-50s. Normal precip this time of year would be about three-quarters of an inch per week.
