Northwest Iowa — According to the latest crop report, over 90 percent of the state’s corn and soybean crops are rated fair or better.
The USDA’s Melissa Bond tells us that while most of the state remained dry, it has at least meant that farmers could do outside work this past week.
She says the crops continue to mature toward harvest.
Here in northwest Iowa, 96 percent of corn had reached the dough stage, with 73 percent dented and 9 percent mature. 98 percent of northwest Iowa soybeans are setting or have set pods, with about one-quarter of them “coloring.” The old terms for that are “yellowing” and “turning.”
We’re still pretty dry here, but as far as topsoil moisture it is actually worse in some of the other parts of the state. Northwest Iowa topsoil this week was rated at 18 percent very short, 51 percent short, 29 percent adequate, and 2 percent surplus.
