July 16 Crop Progess and Condition Report

Another Dry Week in Nebraska
Drought Begins to Affect Irrigation
 
Agricultural Summary:
For  the week  ending  July 15, 2012, dryland crops and pastures continued under stress due to hot and dry  conditions  blanketing  the  state,  according  to  USDA’s National  Agricultural  Statistics  Service,  Nebraska  Field  Office.  Irrigation  remains active; however some producers using surface water  supplies were  required  to  stop  pumping  due  to  low  river levels.  Seventy percent of  the corn crop was  silking  and nearly two-thirds of  the  soybean crop  is blooming.     The  first  sorghum fields  were  heading  out.    Wheat  harvest  was  near  completion about  3  weeks  ahead  of  average.       Hay  was  being  cut  from roadside  ditches  and  producers  were  considering  use  of  CRP acres  for  forage.   With  declining  conditions,  some  livestock  are being  removed  from  summer  pastures  to  dry  lots  or  are  being sold.     
 
Weather  Summary:  
Temperatures  moderated  and  ranged from  2 degrees  above  normal  in  the western  half of  the  state  to  2 degrees below normal in the eastern half.   Highs reached triple digits  in portions of  the west and  lows were  recorded  in  the mid 50’s.    Isolated areas across  the mid  section of  the  state  received measureable  rainfall with a  few  locations accumulating over one inch.  However, much of the state saw little to no precipitation.   Topsoil Moisture (%):  Very Short  53, Short   39, Adequate  8, Surplus   0.  Subsoil Moisture:  Very Short  50, Short  42, Adequate  8, Surplus    0.  GDD Since April 15th (vs. normal):  Concord  1632  (1542);  Elgin 1585  (1508);  West Point 1660  (1591);  Mead 1765  (1635).  Rainfall inches by District since April 1 (% of normal):  NE 9.43 - 76%;  EC 10.58 - 84%;  SE 10.74 - 83%.  
 
Field Crops Report:
Corn silked was 70 percent, compared to 27 last year and over one week ahead of 38 average.  Corn in the dough stage was 8 percent, compared to 1 last year and 2 average.  Corn conditions declined and rated 9 percent very poor, 18 poor, 30  fair,  39  good,  and  4  excellent,  well  below  last  year’s  82  percent  good  to  excellent  and  79  average.   Irrigated  corn conditions  rated  63  percent  good  to  excellent  and  dryland  corn rated 16.  

Soybeans  blooming were  64  percent,  ahead  of  35  last  year  and  11  days  ahead  of  42  average.   Soybeans  setting  pods  was  13  percent,  ahead  of  2  last  year  and  5  average.    Soybean conditions  rated 7 percent very poor, 16 poor, 43  fair, 33 good, and  1  excellent,  well  below  last  year’s  81  percent  good  to excellent and 77 average.

Sorghum  headed  was  3  percent,  ahead  of  0  last  year  and  1  average.   Sorghum  conditions  rated  10  percent  very  poor,  15 poor, 45 fair, 29 good, and 1 excellent, well below last year’s 82 percent good to excellent and 78 average.

The second cutting of alfalfa was 89 percent complete, well ahead of  53  last  year  and  two weeks  ahead  of  59  average.    The  third cutting of alfalfa was 27 percent complete compared to 0 last year and  average.    Alfalfa  conditions  declined  and  rated  30  percent very poor, 30 poor, 24 fair, 15 good, and 1 excellent, well below 84 percent good to excellent last year and 74 average.  

Wild hay harvest was 74 percent complete, ahead of 59 last year and  24  average.    Wild  hay  conditions  declined  and  rated  13 percent very poor, 46 poor, 31 fair, 10 good, and 0 excellent, well  below  last  year’s  79  percent  good  to  excellent  and  82 average.

Wheat  harvested was  97  percent,  compared  to  23  last  year  and  20 days ahead of 39 average.    Oats  harvested  was  89  percent,  compared  to  21  last  year  and  25 average.  
 
Livestock, Pasture  and Range Report: 
Pasture  and  range conditions  rated  35  percent  very  poor,  39  poor,  20  fair,  6 good, and 0 excellent, well below 83 percent good to excellent last year and 78 average.  



Current Weather & Crops County Comments
Survey Date: 07/15/2012

BOONE
Producers are cutting hay in the roadside ditches wherever feasible. Producers are requesting to hay or graze their CRP acres. Producers are irrigating and feeding livestock.

DODGE
No rain fell this week. Dryland crops are stressed. Irrigated crops look good. Pastures are very short and supplemental feeding is being done. Alfalfa was put up in good condition but regrowth is not occurring.

GAGE
Blue River Irrigation shut down affecting 160 irrigators in Gage and Saline County. This week we have portions of fields that will yield zero. More to come without rain. Estimated 5% of corn county wide is 100% loss at this point and just the start.

KNOX
Dryland crops continue to be stressed. Soybeans are hanging in there and would benefit from rain. Some dry land corn has tassled. Much will not tassle.

MERRICK
Extremely dry! Dryland crops are burning up. Livestock are being removed from pastures. Moisture desperately needed.

NANCE
DRY!!! Moisture is desperately needed. Dryland crops are burning up.

OTOE
It has been very hot and dry for several weeks. Forecast is for more dry, hot weather. Row crops are really starting to show signs of stress. Hay is very short.



Click link to see the latest national numbers from USDA...  http://usda01.library.cornell.edu/usda/current/CropProg/CropProg-07-16-2012.txt.  



Iowa Crops Continue to Deteriorate

Although Iowa received scattered showers during the week, the bulk of the week was  dry  and  sunny. Both  corn  and  soybean  crop  conditions deteriorated  as  high  temperatures  and  below  normal  precipitation continued  to  take a  toll. The week’s activities  included  spraying crops and cutting hay, with some farmers starting their third cutting.

There  were  6.7  days  suitable  for  fieldwork  statewide  during  the  past week.  Topsoil  moisture  levels  declined  to  58 percent  very  short, 34 percent  short,  8 percent  adequate,  and  0 percent  surplus.  South Central  Iowa  is  the driest with 99 percent of  the  topsoil moisture rated short  to very short. Subsoil moisture dropped  to 48 percent very  short, 41 percent short, 11 percent adequate, and 0 percent surplus. 

Eighty-seven percent  of  the  corn  crop  is  at  or  beyond  the  tasseling stage,  ahead  of  last  year’s  41 percent  and  the  five-year  average  of 43 percent.  Seventy-four percent  of  the  corn  crop  is  silking,  ahead  of last year’s 23 percent  and  the  five-year average of 27 percent. Reports show corn has reached  the dough stage  in each district. Corn condition is  reported  at  8 percent  very  poor,  19 percent  poor,  37 percent  fair, 32 percent  good,  and  4 percent  excellent. 

Seventy-four percent  of  the soybean crop is blooming, ahead of both last year and five-year average of  54 percent.  Pods  are  being  set  on  12 percent  of  the  soybean  crop, ahead  of  last  year’s  four percent  and  the  five-year  average  of nine percent. Soybean condition is rated 5 percent very poor, 15 percent poor, 42 percent fair, 34 percent good, and 4 percent excellent.

Ninety-eight percent  of  the  oat  crop  has  turned  color,  ahead  of  last  year’s 70 percent and the five-year average of 75 percent. Seventy-two percent of  the  oat  crop  has  been  harvested,  two weeks  ahead  of  normal.  Oat condition  is rated 4 percent very poor, 18 percent poor, 34 percent fair, 38 percent good, and 6 percent  excellent.

Harvest of  second cutting of alfalfa  hay,  at  95 percent  complete,  is  a  month  ahead  of  the  normal pace. Harvest of  third cutting of alfalfa hay, at 17 percent complete,  is almost  two weeks  ahead of normal. Hay  condition  is  rated 15 percent very  poor,  24 percent  poor,  40 percent  fair,  20 percent  good,  and 1 percent excellent. 

Less  than  ten percent of Iowa’s pasture and range  land  is rated good to excellent.  Pasture  and  range  condition  rated  26 percent  very  poor, 36 percent  poor,  29 percent  fair,  8 percent  good,  and  1 percent excellent.  The  heat  continues  to  cause  stress  for  livestock with  some deaths being reported.



IOWA PRELIMINARY WEATHER SUMMARY
Provided by Harry Hillaker, State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship

The past week brought a brief respite from hot weather as temperatures edged slightly below normal from Tuesday through Thursday morning.  However,  temperatures  were  well  above  normal  again  by  Friday.  Elkader  reported  the  lowest  temperature of  the week with  a Thursday morning  low  of  51  degrees  while  Knoxville  was  the  hottest  with  a 99 degree maximum on Sunday (15th).  Temperatures for the week as a whole  averaged 2.5 degrees  above normal.   There were  some  isolated thunderstorms  on  Monday  (9th)  and  Saturday  (14th)  with  the  most widespread rainfall on Friday morning.   A few  locations, mostly  in  the northeast, received rainfall of greater than one inch while others, mostly across the west and south, saw no rain at all.  Weekly rain totals varied from  zero  at  locations  such  as  Shenandoah,  Red  Oak,  Ottumwa,  Le Mars,  Iowa  City  and  Clarion  to  2.31 inches  at  Grundy  Center  and 3.04 inches  at  Perry.    The  statewide  average  precipitation  was  only 0.28 inches  or  about  one-fourth  of  the weekly  normal  of  1.05 inches.  This was the ninth week among the past ten with below normal rainfall and tenth of the past eleven with above normal temperatures.