August 27 Crop Progress Report

CORN HARVEST PICKS UP IN NEBRASKA

Agricultural  Summary: 
For  the  week  ending  August 26, 2012, cooler temperatures near the end of the week coupled with precipitation across the southeastern third of the State were welcome. However, northern and western counties remained  dry,  according  to  USDA’s  National  Agricultural Statistics  Service,  Nebraska  Field  Office.   Dryland  corn harvest  picked  up  momentum  across  the  Southeast  and portions  of  East  Central  Nebraska.  Drought  damaged  corn fields continue to be chopped for silage where moisture is still high enough.  Irrigation was in the last stages in most areas of the  State.    Cattle  producers  are  waiting  for  access  to  stalk fields  as  many  are  supplemental  feeding  livestock.    Culling and marketing of livestock continues due to lack of forage.  
 
Weather  Summary:  
Rain  fell  late  in  the  week  across Southeast and East Central Nebraska with amounts over 1 inch recorded. Remaining  areas  received  little  to  no  precipitation. Temperatures  averaged  2  degrees  above  normal  across Panhandle  and  North  Central  counties  and  near  normal elsewhere.  Highs were generally  in the mid-90’s and lows in the mid-40’s.   Topsoil Moisture (%)  Very Short  68, Short   26, Adequate  6, Surplus   0.  Subsoil Moisture:  Very Short  70, Short  26, Adequate  4, Surplus    0.  GDD Since April 15 (normal):  Concord 2564  (2587), Elgin 2516  (2532), West Point 2588  (2660),  Mead 2717  (2725).  Rainfall in inches by district since April 1 (normal): NE 10.80 (65%),  EC 12.25 (71%),  SE 13.18 (73%). 

Field  Crops  Report: 
Corn  in  the  dent  stage  reached  82 percent, ahead of 45 last year and 52 average.  Corn mature  reached 22 percent, compared to 1 last year and average.  Corn harvested for grain was 4 percent, compared to 0 last year and average.  Corn conditions rated 22 percent very poor, 19 poor, 28 fair, 29 good, and 2 excellent, well below 77 percent good to  excellent  last  year  and  average.   Irrigated  corn  conditions rated 52 percent good to excellent and dryland corn rated 3.  

Soybeans setting pods were 96 percent, near 93  last year and 95  average.    Soybeans  turning  color  were  at  22  percent, compared  to  1  last  year  and  4  average.  Soybeans  dropping leaves were  3  percent,  compared  to  0  last  year  and  average.  Conditions  rated  18  percent  very  poor,  24  poor,  37  fair,  20  good,  and  1  excellent,  well  below  last  year’s  81  percent good to excellent and 77 average.

Sorghum  headed  was  83  percent,  behind  96  last  year  and  95 average.  Sorghum turning color was 14 percent, compared to  35  last  year  and  26  average.    Sorghum  conditions  rated  15  percent  very  poor,  37  poor,  35  fair,  13  good,  and  0 excellent, well below last year’s 80 percent good to excellent and 78 average.

The  third  cutting  of  alfalfa  was  95  percent  complete, compared to 74 last year and 78 average.     The fourth cutting of  alfalfa was  25  percent  complete,  compared  to  8  last  year and 5 average.   Alfalfa condition  rated 43 percent very poor,  27  poor,  18  fair,  11  good,  and  1  excellent,  well  below  77 percent good to excellent last year and 70 average.  

Livestock, Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and  range conditions  rated  67  percent  very  poor,  28  poor,  5  fair,  0  good,  and  0  excellent,  well  below  72  percent  good  to excellent last year and 68 average.  



Current Weather & Crops County Comments
Survey Date: 08/26/2012

BURT
General rains in the county on Saturday will benefit most soybeans but was probably too late for corn. Many acres of CRP were hayed with the emergency haying option.

DODGE
There was some corn being harvested for grain. Corn silage is pretty well wrapped up. Other producers are getting combines ready. Cattle continue to be fed hay as pastures are gone.

KNOX
Silage harvest is still in progress. Calves are being weaned. Most cattle are being supplemented on pasture.

PAWNEE
Finally got some rain this week. May help the soybeans.

SALINE
Drought still impacting dryland crops and dry down.

STANTON
Not a lot of 4th cutting alfalfa.

WASHINGTON
Got around an inch and a half of rain over the weekend.



Click here for the latest national progress numbers from USDA:  http://usda01.library.cornell.edu/usda/current/CropProg/CropProg-08-27-2012.txt. 



RAINS MAYBE HELP IOWA SOYBEANS, CORN HARVEST UNDER WAY

Iowa  experienced widespread  rainfall  late  last week with  the  heaviest precipitation  in  the  southwest  and  south  central  parts  of  the  state. Although  soybean  conditions  lag  behind  previous  years,  farmers  are hoping  plants  will  produce more  pods  as  a  result  of  recent  rains.  In addition  to  farmers chopping  their  corn  for  silage,  there are  reports of farmers  starting  to  harvest  corn  for  grain  or  seed  according  to  the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistical Service, Iowa Field Office. 

There  were  6.0  days  suitable  for  fieldwork  statewide  during  the  past week.  Topsoil  moisture  levels  improved  to  49 percent  very  short, 30 percent  short,  19 percent  adequate,  and  2 percent  surplus.  Subsoil moisture  also  improved  and  is  now  rated  at  64 percent  very  short, 30 percent short, 6 percent adequate, and 0 percent surplus.

Ninety-six percent of  the corn crop has  reached dough  stage, ahead of last year’s 88 percent and  the  five year average of 77 percent. Eighty-two percent of  the  corn  crop has  reached  the dent  stage,  ahead  of  last year’s  62 percent  and  the  five  year  average  of  45 percent.  Twenty-seven percent  of  the  corn  crop  is  now  mature,  two  weeks  ahead  of normal. Corn condition  is  reported at 23 percent very poor, 30 percent poor, 32 percent fair, 14 percent good, and 1 percent excellent.

Pods are being  set  on  98 percent  of  the  soybean  crop.  Nineteen percent  of soybean crop is turning color, ahead of last year’s three percent and the five  year  average  of  six percent.  Reports  of  soybean  leaves  dropping came  in  from  across  the  state.    Soybean  condition  is  reported  at 14 percent very poor, 22 percent poor, 39 percent fair, 23 percent good, and  2 percent  excellent.  Harvest  of  third  cutting  of  alfalfa  hay,  at 95 percent complete, is a month ahead of normal. 

Nineteen percent  of  Iowa’s  pasture  and  range  land  is  rated  in  fair  or better  condition,  a  three percentage  point  increase  from  last  week. Pasture and range condition rated 55 percent very poor, 26 percent poor, 15 percent  fair, 4 percent good, and 0 percent excellent. Cattle on  feed recorded good gains thanks to optimal weather conditions.



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

Widespread  significant  rainfall  finally  arrived over  parts of  Iowa  over the past weekend.  Rain moved into far western Iowa late Friday (24th) and  exited  the  southeast  corner  of  the  state  Sunday  (26th)  afternoon.  Heaviest  rain  fell  over  southwest  and  far  southern  Iowa with Lamoni reporting 8.14  inches.  The excessive rain at Lamoni  fell almost all on Sunday morning but was confined  to a very small area.  Rain amounts were  relatively  light over much of northern  and  central  Iowa.  Mason City  Airport  reported  the  smallest  total  with  only  0.04  inch.  Additionally  some  light  rain  also  fell  across  the  northeast  one-half  of Iowa last Sunday (19th) and over extreme northeastern Iowa on Monday (20th).  Dry weather prevailed  statewide  from Monday  afternoon until Friday  afternoon.   The  statewide  average  rainfall  for  the  week  was 1.29 inches while normal  is 0.91  inches.  This was the wettest week  in ten weeks  and only  the  second week of  the past 15 weeks  to  average greater than normal rainfall.  Meanwhile the past reporting week began unseasonably cool on Monday (20th) and Tuesday (21st)  thanks to very low  overnight  temperatures.   Elkader  reported  the  week’s  lowest temperature with a Tuesday morning low of 39 degrees.  By mid week daytime highs were generally in the nineties but low humidities allowed overnight temperatures to drop into the 40s and 50s.  Much more humid air  arrived  by  late  in  the  week  with  temperatures  averaging  a  few degrees above normal.  Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged very slightly below normal over the far southeast to three degrees above normal over  the  far northwest with a statewide average of 0.8 degrees above normal.