April 23 Crop Progress and Condition Report

NE Fieldwork Moves On Ahead of Pace Last Week

Agricultural  Summary: 
For  the  week  ending  April  22,  2012,  field  activities  picked  up momentum  but  were  slowed  due  to  damp  soils, according  to  USDA’s  National  Agricultural Statistics  Service,  Nebraska  Field  Office.   Corn planting increased to 14 percent complete during the 4.3 days suitable for fieldwork.  Seeding of oats was 85  percent  complete  with  about  half  of  the  crop emerged.   Wheat  jointed,  at  59  percent,  continued two and one half weeks ahead of average. The first fields  of  soybeans  were  planted  and  sugarbeet planting  in  the  Panhandle  has  begun.    Soil temperatures  ranged  from  the  low  50’s  in  the northern  counties  to  upper  50’s  across  the  south.   Cattle  and calves were  in mostly good  to  excellent condition.   Spring calving was 92 percent complete with calf losses below average.

Weather  Summary:   
In  general,  temperatures averaged  one  degree  below  normal  across  the northern  half  of  the  state  and  one  degree  above normal  across  the  south.  Highs  reached  the  upper 70’s and lows fell to the high 20’s in the Panhandle.  Light precipitation fell across much of the state with most areas receiving less than half an inch.  Portions of  Boyd  and  Holt  Counties  in  North  Central Nebraska received over 1.5 inches.   Topsoil Moisture:  Very Short 5%, Short 21%, Adequate 72%, Surplus 2%;  Subsoil Moisture: Very Short 9%, Short 34%, Adequate 56%, Surplus 1%. 

Field Crops Report:
Corn was 14 percent planted, ahead of 4  last year and 9 average.   Corn emerged was 1 percent.

Wheat  jointed was  59  percent,  ahead  of  9  percent last  year  and  two  and  one  half weeks  ahead  of  13 average.    Wheat  conditions  rated  1  percent  very poor,  5  poor,  30  fair,  53  good,  and  11  excellent, well above  last year’s 43 percent good  to excellent and 58 average.  

Oats  planted  was  at  85  percent,  ahead  of  66  last  year  and  one  and  one  half weeks  ahead  of  69  average.   Oats  emerged  was  49  percent,  well ahead  of  18  last  year  and  23  average.   Oats conditions rated 0 percent very poor, 2 poor, 21 fair, 70 good, and 7 excellent. 

Alfalfa conditions rated 0 percent very poor, 4 poor, 28 fair, 53 good, and 15 excellent, below last year’s 75  percent  good  to  excellent  but  near  67  average.  Concerns were  expressed  about  insect  levels.  The first cutting of alfalfa was 5 percent complete.
 
Livestock, Pasture and Range Report:
Cattle and calf  condition  rated  0  percent  very  poor,  0  poor,  6  fair,  73  good,  and  21  excellent.    Spring  calving was  92  percent  complete.    Calf  losses  rated  32 percent below average, 67 average, and 1 above average.   Pasture  and  range  conditions  rated  1  percent  very  poor,  6  poor,  33  fair,  54  good,  and  6 excellent, below 67 percent good to excellent last year and 66 average.


Current Weather & Crops County Comments
Survey Date: 04/22/2012

DIXON
Producers were focused all week on getting seed in the ground. Some light rain came through during the week improving planting conditions and boosted spirits where concerns have been raised about drier then normal conditions.

DODGE
Damp conditions slowed planting and field work this week. Not a lot of moisture but enough to keep them out of the fields.

KNOX
Recent rain really helped. There will be adequate moisture for planting. Pastures and alfalfa are really growing. Planting will start this week.

WASHINGTON
Received nice rain this week. Once fields dry off corn planting will be underway.



Click here for the latest national progress and conditions numbers...  http://usda01.library.cornell.edu/usda/current/CropProg/CropProg-04-23-2012.txt. 



Iowa Fieldwork Slows to a Crawl

Weather conditions were unfavorable for most of the State this week as Iowa  experienced  several  cool,  rainy  days. Many  farmers  are  anxious for  fields  to  dry  out  enough  so  fieldwork  and  planting  activities  can resume. 

There were 1.8 days suitable  for  fieldwork during  the week, compared to 4.5 days  the previous week. The days suitable  for  fieldwork  ranged from a  low of 1.1 days  in North Central and Central  Iowa  to a high of 3.4  days  in  South  East  Iowa.  Topsoil  moisture  levels  improved  to 2 percent  very  short,  10  percent  short,  72  percent  adequate,  and 16 percent  surplus.  Subsoil moisture  also  improved  and  is  now  rated 10 percent  very  short,  24  percent  short,  59  percent  adequate,  and 7 percent surplus.

Despite  the  rainy weather, corn planting advanced 4 percentage points and now stands at 9 percent complete, compared with 3 percent at  this time  last year and  the  five year  average of 16 percent. One percent of the  corn  crop  has  emerged,  13  days  ahead  of  normal.  Some  farmers were  spotted  planting  soybean  fields  but  progress  was  less  than 1 percent. Oat  planting was  94  percent  complete,  ahead  of  last  year’s 70 percent and the five-year average of 63 percent.  Fifty-seven percent of  the  expected  oat  acreage  has  emerged,  well  ahead  of  last  year’s 20 percent and  the five-year average of 18 percent. Oat condition rated 1 percent very poor, 2 percent poor, 32 percent  fair, 54 percent good, and 11 percent excellent.

Sixty-nine percent of Iowa’s pasture and range  land  is now rated good to  excellent,  a  6  percentage  point  decrease  from  the  previous  week. Pasture and  range condition  rated 1 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 26 percent fair, 46 percent good, and 23 percent excellent. 

 
IOWA PRELIMINARY WEATHER SUMMARY
Provided by Michael Timlin, Regional Climatologist, Midwestern Regional Climate Center

The  past  week  reported  statewide  temperatures  that  averaged  nearly 2.5 degrees below normal.   Temperatures ranged from about 4 degrees below normal in the north central part of the state to near normal in the southwest.    Daily  temperature  extremes  ranged  from  78  degrees  in Clinton  on  Monday  (16th)  and  Keosauqua  on  Thursday  (19th)  to 28 degrees  at  several  stations  in north central  Iowa on Tuesday  (17th).  Freezing  temperatures were  common  in  the northern  third of  the  state on Tuesday (17th) and Friday (20th) with scattered freezing temperatures noted across  the state on  the  last  three days of  the week (20th  to 22nd).  The below normal  temperatures  for  the week were  largely due  to cool maximum  temperatures  with minimum  temperatures  closer  to  normal across  the state.   Normal  rainfall during  the week,  just shy of an  inch, was exceeded in the northern half of Iowa while the southern half of the state  came  up  short  of  normal.   Rainfall  totals  in  the  southwest were about  a  quarter  inch  and  totals  ramped  up  to  around  2  inches  in  the northeast  with  a  couple  locations  topping  3  inches  (Charles  City, 3.03 inches and Cresco, 3.37 inches).  Monday (16th), Friday (20th), and Sunday  (22nd)  were  mostly  dry  across  the  state  while  the  heaviest precipitation  fell  on  Thursday  (19th)  at  most  locations  with  lighter amounts  on  the  remaining  days  of  the week.    Precipitation  totals  for Thursday were 1  to 2.50  inches for most  locations  in north central and northeast  Iowa.    The  only  reports  of  severe weather  during  the week were tornado reports in Clay County on Saturday afternoon (21st).  Both reports were of weak, short-lived tornadoes with no significant damage.