October 20 Crop Progress and Harvest Reports - NE - IA - US

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS - CORN HARVEST SLOW, SOYBEANS SPEED ALONG

For the week ending October 19, 2014, limited rainfall and above normal temperatures provided excellent harvest conditions, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Good progress was made on soybean harvest, while producers waited for grain moisture levels, especially in irrigated corn, to dry down further. Significant rain of an inch or more was limited to the extreme southeastern counties. Sugarbeet harvest in the west was slowed due to the warm conditions. Livestock producers began moving cattle to available stalk fields. Statewide, there were 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork.  Topsoil moisture supplies rated 3 percent very short, 23 short, 72 adequate, and 2 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 8 percent very short, 23 short, 67 adequate, and 2 surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn conditions rated 2 percent very poor, 5 poor, 18 fair, 51 good, and 24 excellent. Corn mature was 94 percent, near 91 last year and 93 average. Corn harvested was 28 percent, near 31 last year, but behind 45 average.

Soybean conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 5 poor, 19 fair, 54 good, and 21 excellent. Soybeans harvested was 69 percent, behind 77 last year and 81 average. 

Sorghum conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 5 poor, 32 fair, 40 good, and 22 excellent.  Sorghum mature was 95 percent, near 96 last year and 91 average. Sorghum harvested was 27 percent, near 31 last year and 32 average.

Dry beans harvested was 92 percent, near 93 last year and 94 average.

Alfalfa hay fourth cutting was 94 percent complete, ahead of 88 last year, but equal to the average.

Winter wheat emerged was 89 percent, ahead of 71 last year and 75 for the five-year average.

Proso millet harvested was 93 percent, ahead of 86 last year and 85 average.

Livestock, Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 5 percent very poor, 7 poor, 32 fair, 48 good, and 8 excellent.  Stock water supplies rated 1 percent very short, 5 short, 92 adequate, and 2 surplus.


Access the National publication for Crop Progress and Condition tables at:  http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/CropProg//2010s/2014/CropProg-10-20-2014.txt. 
Access the High Plains Region Climate Center for Temperature and Precipitation Maps at:  http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/maps/current/index.php?action=update_region&state=NE&region=HPRCC. 
Access the U.S. Drought Monitor at:  http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NE. 



Iowa Crop Progress - Harvest 10-20 days behind normal pace

Fieldwork stalled early in the week due to rain, but farmers were able to harvest during the rest of the week ending October 19, 2014, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Overall there were 4.2 days suitable for fieldwork. Most farmers reported harvesting soybeans while waiting for corn to dry down in the fields. Activities for the week included fall tillage, manure and fertilizer application, biomass baling, and hauling grain.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 0 percent very short, 4 percent short, 78 percent adequate, and 18 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 5 percent short, 80 percent adequate, and 14 percent surplus. Southwest and south central Iowa were the wettest with over one-third of their topsoil in surplus condition.

Ninety-six percent of Iowa’s corn acreage was mature, 3 days behind the five-year average. Corn harvest advanced 9 percentage points to 19 percent complete, 18 days behind the normal pace. Moisture content of corn at harvest was estimated at 21 percent. Seventyseven percent of the corn crop was reported in good to excellent condition.

With almost the entire soybean crop dropping leaves or beyond, harvest reached 61 percent complete, 9 days behind normal.  Seventy-four percent of the soybean acreage was in good to excellent condition.

Grain movement from farm to elevator was rated 55 percent moderate to heavy, increasing 8 percentage points from the previous week. Offfarm grain storage availability was 92 percent adequate to surplus. On-farm grain storage availability was 87 percent adequate to surplus.

Pasture and hay have had excellent regrowth this fall with plenty of rain and cooler than normal temperatures. Pasture condition remained steady at 66 percent good to excellent, while hay and roughage supplies were estimated at 97 percent adequate to surplus. Livestock conditions were reported as ideal.



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

Light rain fell nearly statewide on Sunday (12th) with moderate to heavy rain falling across the southeast two-thirds of Iowa on Monday (13th) and into Tuesday (14th). The remainder of the week was dry excepting some scattered very light rain over the northeast on Friday (17th). Weekly rainfall amounts varied from just a trace at Spencer and Estherville to 4.61 inches at Pella. The statewide average precipitation was 1.50 inches or nearly triple the weekly normal of 0.56 inches. Temperatures were near seasonal averages for the week with cooler than normal weather on Sunday (12th) and Saturday (18th) and slightly higher than normal temperatures during the work week. Temperature extremes varied from morning lows of 28 degrees at Sheldon on Wednesday (15th) and 27 degrees at Elkader on Sunday (1 9th) to a Thursday (16th) afternoon high of 78 degrees at Sioux City. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged from 3 degrees above normal over the far northwest to two degrees below normal over the far southeast with a statewide average of 0.2 degrees above normal. Soil temperatures at the four inch depth as of Sunday (19th) were averaging in the low to mid 50’s statewide and are expected to remain in the fifties for the coming week.



USDA Weekly Crop Progress - October 20th, 2014
In an "average" year more than half the nation's corn crop would be harvested by now and about two-thirds of the soybean crop... but 2014 isn't an average year.

According to USDA's latest weekly Crop Progress report, as of Oct. 19, 31% of U.S. corn was harvested and 53% of the soybeans. That compares to 24% and 40% a week ago.

Winter wheat is 76% planted and 56% emerged, compared to 68% and 43% last week and 77% and 40% on average.



Brazil Soy Crop Just 10% Planted

Another hot, dry week in Brazil's Center-West and South-East regions put Brazil's soybean planting further behind schedule, according to AgRural, a local farm consultancy.

Up to Friday, farmers had planted 10% of the projected Brazilian crop, well behind planting at this stage last year, when 19% was in the ground, and the five-year average of 20%.

Field work moved forward just three percentage points last week as growers continue to wait for spring rains in Mato Grosso and surrounding Center-West states, which account for nearly 50% of soy production.

In the south, planting has also not gone as fast as it could due to heavy rains at the end of September and early October and then high temperatures over the last couple of weeks.

Parana, the No. 2 soy state, had planted 33% of the soybean crop up to Oct. 17, which is back from the 40% planted last year although in line with the five-year average of 33%.

The hot weather has made farmers in the region edgy, although temperatures should drop this week.

In the Center-West, Mato Grosso had planted 11% of the crop as of Friday, well back from the 30% recorded at the same stage last year. In the west of the state, isolated showers last week allowed for some planting progress and 16% had been planted there.

Similarly in Mato Grosso do Sul, some 10% had been planted as of Friday compared with 30% last year.