October 6 Crop Progress and Harvest Report - NE - IA - US

NEBRASKA HARVEST PROGRESS - CORN & SOY HARVEST LESS THAN HALF OF AVERAGE

For the week ending October 5, 2014, heavy rainfall of three or more inches fell across much of the Panhandle and portions of southeast Nebraska, limiting fall harvest activities, according to  the  USDA’s  National  Agricultural  Statistics  Service.   Temperatures  retreated  during  the week with  frost reported in some areas.  There were 3.8 days suitable for fieldwork.  Topsoil moisture supplies rated 3 percent very short, 19 short, 73 adequate, and 5 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 8 percent very short, 22 short, 67 adequate, and 3 surplus.
 
Field Crops Report:
Corn  conditions  rated  2  percent  very  poor,  6  poor,  18  fair,  52  good,  and  22  excellent.  Corn  mature  was  77 percent, near 81 average. Corn harvested was 11 percent, behind 24 average.

Soybean conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 5 poor, 20 fair, 54 good, and 20 excellent.   Soybeans dropping leaves was 91 percent, equal to the average. Soybeans harvested was 16 percent, well behind 41 average.

Sorghum conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 5 poor, 32 fair, 40 good, and 22 excellent. Sorghum mature was 69 percent, near 66 average. Sorghum harvested was 5 percent, behind 11 average.

Alfalfa hay conditions rated 2 percent very poor, 5 poor, 28 fair, 53 good, and 12 excellent.  Alfalfa hay fourth cutting was 83 percent complete, near 84 average.

Winter wheat planted was 89 percent, ahead of 81 for the five-year average. Winter wheat emerged was 64 percent, ahead of 46 average.
 
Livestock,  Pasture  and  Range  Report: 
Pasture  and  range  conditions  rated  5  percent  very  poor,  7  poor, 
32 fair, 47 good, and 9 excellent.  Stock water supplies rated 1 percent very short, 5 short, 91 adequate, and 3 surplus. 

Note: Due to a lapse in federal funding in October 2013, the Crop Progress reports for the weeks ending October 6, 2013 and October 13, 2013 were canceled. Therefore, previous year estimates for the corresponding weeks will not be available. Five-year average estimates will reflect the years 2009-2013 using published estimates for 2009-2012 and imputed estimates for 2013.



Access the National publication for Crop Progress and Condition tables at:  http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/CropProg//2010s/2014/CropProg-10-06-2014.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 HARVEST PROGRESS - SOYBEAN HARVEST SLOWEST IN 30 YEARS

Wet  conditions have  delayed widespread  harvest  across  Iowa  during the week  ending October  5, 2014,  according  to  the USDA, National Agricultural  Statistics  Service.    There  were  3.3  days  suitable  for fieldwork.  Activities  for  the week  included  harvesting  hay  and  the start  of  fall  tillage.    Farmers  were  hoping  for  drier  field  and  crop conditions to enable substantial harvest to begin.

Topsoil  moisture  rated  0 percent  very  short,  4 percent  short, 80 percent adequate, and 16 percent surplus.  Subsoil moisture levels rated  1 percent  very  short,  7 percent  short,  80 percent  adequate,  and 12 percent surplus.  Southwest Iowa was  the wettest with almost half of its topsoil in surplus condition.

With  almost  all of  Iowa’s  corn  acreage  in or beyond  the dent  stage, corn mature  reached 79 percent, 6 days behind  the  five-year average.  Moisture  content  of  all  corn  in  the  field,  at  27 percent,  continued  to delay  harvest.      Only  5  percent  of  corn  has  been  harvested  so  far, 3 weeks behind the normal pace.  Seventy-six percent of the corn crop was  reported  in  good  to  excellent  condition.  

With  almost  all  of  the soybean  acreage  turning  color, 85  percent of  the  crop was  dropping leaves or beyond, just behind average.  Soybean harvest was 9 percent complete,  the  lowest  percentage  harvested  by  this  date  in  over 30 years.    Seventy-four percent  of  the  soybean  crop was  in  good  to excellent condition.

The  third  cutting  of  alfalfa  hay  was  95 percent  complete,  almost 2 weeks  behind  the  five-year  average.   Pasture  condition  rated 67 percent good to excellent.  Livestock conditions have been normal.  There were some reports of weaned calves being moved off pastures. 



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

The past week began with unseasonably warm weather with daytime highs  mostly  in  the  eighties  on  Sunday  (28th)  with  Donnellson recording the highest temperature at 86 degrees.   Temperatures slowly cooled,  but  remained  above  normal,  through  Thursday  (2nd).     Well below normal temperatures prevailed over the weekend.   A freeze was recorded  over  most  of  northwest  Iowa  on  Saturday  (4th)  morning, roughly north of Interstate 80 and west of Interstate 35.   A hard freeze was  recorded  in a  few areas with Sibley and Holstein  recording  lows of 28 degrees early Saturday.     Another  freeze  impacted northeastern Iowa on Sunday  (5th) morning,  roughly northeast of a Mason City  to Cedar Rapids  line.     Once  again  a  few  areas  recorded  a  hard  freeze with  Elkader  and  Stanley  recording  28  degree  lows  early  Sunday.   Temperatures  for  the  week  as  a  whole  averaged  1.1  degrees  above normal.        Sunday  (28th)  was  dry  while  light  rain  fell  across  the northwest  one-quarter  of  Iowa  on  Monday  (29th).      Rain  was widespread  from  Tuesday  (30th)  afternoon  through Wednesday  (1st) morning with heavy  rain over portions of  southwest  Iowa.     Light  to moderate  rain  fell  over much  of  Iowa  on  Thursday.      Finally,  snow flurries and/or very light rain fell across northern Iowa Friday evening into  Saturday  morning.      Weekly  precipitation  totals  varied  from 0.12 inches  at  Quasqueton  (Buchanan  County)  to  4.40  inches  at Oakland.     The statewide average precipitation was 1.25  inches while normal  for  the week  is 0.70  inches.     Soil  temperatures as of Sunday (5th) were averaging in the fifties statewide and are expected to remain in that range for the coming week.



USDA Weekly Crop Progress

The nation's corn crop was 77% mature and 17% harvested as of Oct. 5, according to USDA's latest weekly Crop Progress report. That compares to 60% and 12% last week and five-year averages of 81% and 32%.

Soybeans are 83% dropping leaves and 20% harvested, compared to 69% and 10% last week and five-year averages of 84% and 35%.

Winter wheat is 56% planted and 28% emerged, compared to 43% and 14% last week and five-year averages of 53% and 24%.