August 6 Crop Progress and Condition Report

Nebraska Agricultural  Summary: 
For  the  week  ending  August  5,  2012,  precipitation  and  moderating  temperatures brought  some  relief  to  crops  and pastures  along  the  southern third of the State, according  to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office.  However, much of the eastern third of  the state, where most of the dryland crops are grown, received only limited precipitation with conditions remaining  poor  for  dryland  crops  and  pastures.    Drought damaged corn acres continue being chopped  for  silage or  cut for hay  to make up  for pastures which are providing  little or no  grazing  capacity.   Irrigators  continued  their  struggle with water  demands  and  many  livestock  producers  were  hauling water due to dry ponds.  
 
Weather Summary: 
Several rain events occurred during the week bringing precipitation  to most  regions of  the  state. The Southern  two  tiers of counties  received  the most  rainfall with pockets averaging over two inches of rainfall, while the upper two-thirds of  the  state averaged only  .50  inch.  Temperatures were 2 degrees above normal for the week with highs reaching triple digits in some areas of the state.  Lows were recorded in the  mid  40’s  in  northern  and  central  counties  and  50’s elsewhere.  

Field  Crops  Report: 
Corn  in  the  dough  stage  was  76  percent,  compared  to  29  last  year  and  13  days  ahead  of  34 average.   Corn in the dent stage reached 32 percent, ahead of 1  last year and 3 average.   Corn  that has  reached maturity was  3  percent,  compared  to  0  last  year  and  average.    Corn conditions  rated  17  percent  very  poor,  20  poor,  28  fair,  32  good,  and  3  excellent,  well  below  78  percent  good  to excellent last year and average.  Irrigated corn conditions rated 56 percent good to excellent and dryland corn rated 4.  

Soybeans blooming were 94 percent, ahead of 87 last year and 90 average.  Soybeans setting pods were 61 percent, ahead of 46  last  year  and  54  average.    Soybean  conditions  rated  14  percent  very  poor,  23  poor,  41  fair,  21  good,  and  1 excellent, well below last year’s 77 percent good to excellent and 76 average.

Sorghum  headed  was  60  percent,  ahead  of  49  last  year  and  44  average.   Sorghum conditions  rated 13 percent very poor, 22  poor,  47  fair,  18  good,  and  0  excellent,  well  below  last year’s 79 percent good to excellent and 78 average.

The third cutting of alfalfa was 80 percent complete compared to 24  last year and 31 average.     The  fourth cutting of alfalfa was 4 percent complete compared  to 0  last year and average.  Alfalfa conditions rated 34 percent very poor, 32 poor, 22 fair, 11  good,  and  1  excellent,  well  below  80  percent  good  to excellent last year and 71 average.   Wild  hay  harvest was  89  percent  complete,  ahead  of  76  last year and 44 average.  

Livestock, Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and  range conditions  rated  53  percent  very  poor,  36  poor,  10  fair,  1  good,  and  0  excellent,  well  below  74  percent  good  to excellent last year and 72 average.  



Current Weather & Crops County Comments
Survey Date: 08/05/2012

BOONE
Rain averaging about 50 to 80 hundredths helped settle the dust. However, it was spotty and some areas just received a sprinkle.

DIXON
Livestock producers are in the process of chopping and baling corn. Several are looking at haying soybeans in the near future to increase their supply of roughage. Dixon Co. had some measurable amount of rain in the south central part of the county earlier in the week.

DODGE
Several days of cooler temps are helping. Night temps cooling down.

GAGE
First corn combined August 1, 18% moisture, 25bu, 50# test wt, falling over.

LANCASTER
Corn is dented and is nearing black layer or has reached black layer. Rainfed soybeans have some flowers and there are some pods but most blooms aborted with nearly no viable blossoms in the upper canopy. Some cattlemen have begun feeding greenchop corn to their herds. There is interest in baling corn for hay.

MERRICK
Approx .30" of rain received in the county. Dryland corn is being cut for silage.

NEMAHA
Drought continues in Nemaha County. A few areas received scattered showers last week but very light precipitation. People are cutting silage, a few baling cornstalks and checking on possibly harvesting soybeans for forage.

NEMAHA
Dry, hot conditions continue with less than .2 precipitation during the week and temps in the 90+ range every day. Pasture, hay and crop conditions continue to decline. Livestock producers are providing supplemental feed to livestock on pasture and some are hauling water because surface water has dried up.



Iowa Summary

Iowa  farmers  welcomed  widespread  rainfall  for  the  second straight week with the heaviest precipitation in East Central and South Central Iowa. Both corn and soybean conditions declined slightly  for  the  week.  The  week’s  activities  included  spraying crops and chopping corn. 

There were 6.4 days suitable  for fieldwork statewide during  the past  week.  Topsoil  moisture  levels  improved  slightly  to 66 percent very  short, 27 percent  short, 7 percent adequate, and 0 percent  surplus.  Subsoil moisture  is  rated  at  71 percent  very short,  25 percent  short,  4 percent  adequate,  and  0 percent surplus. 

Eighty-five percent of  the corn crop has reached  the milk stage, ahead  of  last  year’s  58 percent  and  the  five  year  average  of 52 percent.  Sixty-five percent  of  the  corn  crop  has  reached dough stage, two weeks ahead of normal. Twenty-seven percent of  the  corn  crop  has  reached  the  dent  stage,  also  two  weeks ahead of  normal. Corn  condition  is  reported  at 20 percent very poor,  29 percent  poor,  35 percent  fair,  15 percent  good,  and 1 percent  excellent. 

Pods  are  being  set  on  77 percent  of  the soybean  crop,  ahead of  last  year’s 64 percent  and  the  five-year average  of  68 percent.  Soybean  condition  is  rated  13 percent very poor, 24 percent poor, 39 percent fair, 23 percent good, and 1 percent  excellent. 

Harvest  of  third  cutting  of  alfalfa  hay,  at 80 percent complete, is just over a month ahead of normal. 

Less  than one-fifth of  Iowa’s pasture and  range  land  is  rated  in fair  or  better  condition.  Pasture  and  range  condition  rated 59 percent very poor, 27 percent poor, 12 percent fair, 2 percent good,  and 0 percent  excellent. Stress on  livestock was minimal with no issues reported for this week.



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

Hot  weather  again  prevailed  across  Iowa  until  a  cold  front crossed  the  state on Saturday  (4th).   Daytime high  temperatures were mostly in the 90s until the weekend when they dropped to the  70s  and  80s.    Temperature  extremes  for  the  week  varied from  a  Monday  (30th)  afternoon  high  of  102  degrees  at Hawarden to a Sunday (5th) morning low of 49 degrees at Sibley.  Temperatures  for  the  week  as  a  whole  averaged  4.2  degrees above  normal  making  this  the  thirteenth  week  of  the  past fourteen  to  average  warmer  than  normal.    There  were  a  few scattered  light  thunderstorms over  the northern one-third of  the state Wednesday  night.    The  largest  rain  event  since  June  20 brought  precipitation  to most  of  Iowa  between  Friday  evening and Saturday afternoon.  There were a few isolated rain amounts of more than two inches over eastern Iowa while a small portion of  southwest  Iowa  missed  the  rain  completely.    Audubon’s streak of 41 consecutive days without measurable rain fall barely came to an end on Saturday with 0.01 inch recorded.  However, locations such as Glenwood, Oakland and Underwood  recorded only  sprinkles.   At Underwood a  streak of 38 consecutive days without measurable  rain continues.   Davenport Airport was  the wet  spot with 2.45  inches  (most of which  fell  in only one-half hour  early  Saturday  afternoon).    The  statewide  average precipitation was 0.62  inches or about  two-thirds of  the weekly normal  of  0.96  inches.   This was  the  twelfth week  of  the  past thirteen with less than normal rainfall.