September 17 Crop Progress and Harvest Report

NE Soybean Harvest at Five Percent; One Quarter of the Corn In the Bin

Agricultural  Summary: 
For  the  week  ending  September 16, 2012, fall harvest continued to gain momentum until  mid-week  when  showers  occurred  across  much  of  the State,  according  to  USDA’s  National  Agricultural  Statistics Service, Nebraska Field Office.   Precipitation  totals were  less than .50 inch in most locations.  This reduced fire danger for a time,  but  in  most  areas  did  little  to  change  the  overall  soil moisture  situation.    Corn  harvest  was  near  one  fourth complete.   Soybean  harvest  has  started  with  fields maturing rapidly.    Winter  wheat  seeding  was  slow  with  emergence limited  due  to  dry  topsoils.  Proso millet  harvest  was  active.  Cattle producers continued seeking forage supplies and culling of livestock remained active.  
 
Weather  Summary:  
Precipitation  was  received  in  most areas of the state.  Largest accumulations were recorded in the Southeast  with  a  few  locations  receiving  over  2  inches.   Temperatures  averaged  1-2  degrees  above  normal  across  the state.  Portions  of  the  North  Central  District  were  up  to  4  degrees  above  normal  while  the  Southeast  District  was  1  degree  below  normal.    Highs  were  mainly  in  the  upper  90’s and lows in the upper 30’s.     Topsoil Moisture (%): Very Short  69, Short   25, Adequate  6, Surplus   0.  Subsoil Moisture:  Very Short  73, Short  23, Adequate  4, Surplus    0.  GDD since April 15 (normal):  Concord 2972  (2966),  Elgin 2928  (2901),  West Point 2991  (3054),  Mead  3115  (3133).  Rainfall inches by district (% of normal):  NE 11.29 (61%),  EC 12.88 (66%),  SE 14.49 (70%). 

Field  Crops  Report: 
Corn  mature  reached  74  percent, compared  to  18  last  year  and  17  days  ahead  of  25  average.  Corn  harvested  for  grain was  23 percent,  compared  to  2  last year  and  average.    Corn  conditions  rated    23  percent  very poor,  19  poor, 25  fair,  29  good,  and 4  excellent, well  below  75  percent  good  to  excellent  last  year  and  79  average.  Irrigated  corn  conditions  rated  54  percent  good  to  excellent and dryland corn rated 4.  

Soybeans  turning  color  were  at  91  percent,  compared  to  63  last  year  and  73  average. Soybeans  dropping  leaves were 51  percent,  compared  to  13  last  year  and  24  average.  Soybeans harvested were 5 percent.  Soybean conditions rated 20  percent  very  poor,  27  poor,  34  fair,  18  good,  and  1 excellent, well below last year’s 80 percent good to excellent and 78 average.

Winter  wheat  seeded  was  at  21  percent,  behind  both  36  percent  last  year  and  35  average.   Emergence  has  been slow due to dry conditions.  Proso  millet  harvest  was  37  percent  complete,  ahead  of  20 last year and 29 average.

Sorghum  headed  was  97  percent,  behind  100  last  year  and  100  average.    Sorghum  turning  color  was  69  percent, compared  to  89  last  year  and  82  average.    Sorghum mature was  19  percent,  near  20  last  year  but  ahead  of    10  average.  The  first  fields  of  sorghum  were  being  harvested.  Sorghum conditions  rated  14  percent  very  poor,  46  poor,  29  fair,  11  good,  and  0  excellent,  well  below  75  percent  good  toexcellent last year and 77 average.

The  fourth  cutting  of  alfalfa  was  78  percent  complete,  well ahead of 52 last year and 42 average.  
 
Livestock, Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and  range conditions  rated  66  percent  very  poor,  31  poor,  3  fair,  0  good,  and  0  excellent,  well  below  69  percent  good  to excellent last year and 68 average.  



Current Weather & Crops County Comments
Survey Date: 09/16/2012

BOONE
Received between .25 and half inch rain. This settled the dust but was too little and too late. Corn harvest is continuing. Producers are still scrounging for hay for cattle.

DIXON
Dryland corn harvest is in full swing. Soybean harvest has just started. Drought conditions continue. A very early harvest is in progress.

DODGE
Soybean harvest has started with reports of pods popping and loosing soybeans before harvesting them. Corn harvest has progressed rapidly this week. As much hay as is being used for cattle now, supplies could run short this winter. There is a lot of baling cornstalks and soybean stubble to make up for the hay feeding.

KNOX
Corn harvest has begun. The corn has dried rapidly with the hot, dry conditions. Soybeans are rapidly maturing and harvest will probably start this week. Cattle are being removed from pastures.



Click here for the latest national numbers....  http://usda01.library.cornell.edu/usda/current/CropProg/CropProg-09-17-2012.txt.  



Iowa Soybean Harvest Gets Underway

Mostly dry conditions coupled with cooler temperatures during the week aided harvest of Iowa’s crops, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Iowa Field Office. There have been a few reports of farmers completing corn harvest and moving to soybean harvest. One reporter mentioned “This is the earliest harvest I have observed in my career.” The week’s activities included row crop harvesting, fall tillage, haying CRP acres, and hauling water for livestock.

There were 6.0 days suitable for fieldwork statewide during the past week. Topsoil moisture level is rated at 42 percent very short, 42 percent short, 16 percent adequate, and 0 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture is rated at 59 percent very short, 34 percent short, 7 percent adequate, and 0 percent surplus.

Eighty-eight percent of the corn crop is now mature, well ahead of last year’s 52 percent and the five year average of 44 percent. Twenty-two percent of the corn crop has been harvested for grain or seed, over three weeks ahead of normal. In fact, corn harvest is more advanced than it has been on September 16th since the NASS Iowa Field Office began keeping records. Moisture content of all corn in the field is estimated at 23 percent while the moisture content of corn being harvested is estimated at 19 percent. Corn lodging is rated at 60 percent none, 22 percent light, 13 percent moderate, and 5 percent heavy. Ear droppage is rated at 68 percent none, 22 percent light, 9 percent moderate, and 1 percent heavy. Corn condition improved slightly and is now rated at 20 percent very poor, 28 percent poor, 34 percent fair, 17 percent good, and 1 percent excellent.

Ninety percent of the soybean crop is turning color, ahead of last year’s 67 percent and the five year average of 75 percent. Fifty-four percent of Iowa’s soybean fields are dropping leaves, a 28 percentage point increase from last week. Six percent of the state’s soybean crop has been harvested with northwest Iowa leading the way with 12 percent. Soybean condition improved slightly and is now rated at 12 percent very poor, 22 percent poor, 39 percent fair, 25 percent good, and 2 percent excellent.

Twenty-seven of Iowa’s pasture and range land is rated in fair or better condition, a four percentage point increase from last week. Pasture and range condition is rated at 48 percent very poor, 25 percent poor, 22 percent fair, 5 percent good, and 0 percent excellent. Livestock conditions for the week were excellent. Some livestock producers are moving cattle to stalk fields. 



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

Temperatures over the past week averaged from four degrees warmer than normal over far northwest Iowa to five degrees below normal over the far southeast portion of the state.  Tuesday (11th) was the warmest day in most areas with afternoon highs varying from the mid 80s east to the upper 90s west.  Meanwhile afternoon highs on Thursday (13th) were only in the mid 50s southeast to upper 70s northwest while lows dropped into the 40s over most of Iowa by Friday morning.   Temperature extremes varied from Thursday morning lows of 38 degrees at Belle Plaine and Stanley to Tuesday afternoon highs of 98 degrees at Little Sioux and Sioux City (setting a record high for the date).  Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged 0.2 degrees below normal.  There was only one rain event during the week.  Rain moved into western Iowa early on Wednesday and exited the southeast by Thursday evening.  Rain fall of an inch or more fell over much of west central and southwest Iowa but amounts of an under one-quarter inch were the rule over southeastern parts of the state.  Rain totals varied from 0.07 inches at the Dubuque Airport to 2.20 inches at Glenwood.  The statewide average precipitation was 0.58 inches while normal for the week is 0.80 inches.  This was the 17th week of the past 19 to bring less than normal precipitation to the state.