Statewide Iowa — The Crop Progress and Conditions Report on Monday showed Iowa’s corn crop is currently rated 62% good to excellent and soybeans are 61%.
The weekly report says Iowa’s corn silking or beyond reached 92%, one day ahead of the 5-year average. Here in northwest Iowa, it’s 91 percent. Corn in or beyond the dough stage reached 42%, four days ahead of average. Around here, it’s 30 percent. Five percent of the Iowa corn crop has reached the dent stage, but only two percent in northwest Iowa. USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey says the national pace of corn doughing is ahead of schedule.
Ninety-three percent of soybeans in Iowa were blooming on August 1st, 9 days ahead of the 5-year average. About 95 percent of northwest Iowa soybeans are that far along. Soybeans setting pods reached 73% statewide, eight days ahead of normal. Seventy-nine percent of northwest Iowa soybeans are setting pods.
In Iowa, the second cutting of alfalfa hay reached 92% complete; 95% here. The third cutting was reported at 22% complete, 1 day ahead of the 5-year average. But 41% of northwest Iowa alfalfa has had the third cutting. Iowa hay condition rated 57% good to excellent. Pasture condition was rated 40% good to excellent.
Conditions are still dry, with less than half of Iowa’s topsoil containing adequate moisture — 49%. Thirty-four percent is rated short, with 16 percent very short. The situation is a little drier up here in our area, with only 38 percent reporting adequate topsoil moisture, 40 percent short, and 22 percent very short.
Some timely rains would be good for both this year’s crop and subsequent years, as a similar picture is being painted in regard to subsoil moisture, with statewide figures showing 39% adequate, 40% short, and 20% very short. Up here, only 18 percent of subsoil moisture is being reported as adequate, with 48% short, and 34% very short.
