April 20 Crop Planting and Condition Report - NE - IA - US

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending April 19, 2015, clear conditions during the first part of the week allowed fieldwork to advance, but gave way to rain which limited activity during the latter half, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.   An inch or more of precipitation was common throughout the State, with two to three inches reported in west central counties.   Temperatures averaged six degrees above normal across the eastern half of Nebraska, but were near normal in the Panhandle.   Topsoil moisture conditions moved higher, as did pasture prospects. The rain kept soil temperatures cool and limited fieldwork. Statewide, there were 4.1 days suitable for fieldwork.   Topsoil moisture supplies rated 8 percent very short, 24 short, 63 adequate, and 5 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 12 percent very short, 28 short, 58 adequate, and 2 surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn planted was at 4 percent, equal to last year, and near the five-year average of 5.

Winter wheat condition rated 13 percent very poor, 18 poor, 32 fair, 34 good, and 3 excellent. Winter wheat jointed rated 6 percent complete, ahead of 0 last year, but behind 16 average.

Oats planted was at 84 percent, ahead of 61 last year and 69 average. Oats emerged was at 34 percent, well ahead of 14 last year and 21 average.  

Livestock Report:
Cattle and calf conditions rated 0 percent very poor, 1 poor, 13 fair, 73 good, and
13 excellent. Cattle and calf death loss rated 0 percent heavy, 63 average, and 37 light. Calving progress rated 84 percent complete.

Sheep and lamb conditions rated 0 percent very poor, 0 poor, 15 fair, 73 good, and 12 excellent. Sheep and lamb death loss rated 0 percent heavy, 64 average, and 36 light.  

Hay and roughage supplies rated 2 percent very short, 9 short, 86 adequate, and 3 surplus.

Stock water supplies rated 3 percent very short, 13 short, 82 adequate, and 2 surplus. 


Access the National publication for Crop Progress and Condition tables at:
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/CropProg/2010s/2015/CropProg-04-20-2015.pdf. 

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 AND CONDITION REPORT 

A productive week of fieldwork was halted by weekend rains in Iowa during the week ending April 19, 2015, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Statewide there were 4.4 days suitable for fieldwork. Activities for the week included manure hauling, tillage, oat seeding, anhydrous application, and some corn planting. Topsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 13 percent short, 76 percent adequate and 10 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 2 percent very short, 18 percent short, 76 percent adequate and 4 percent surplus. North central Iowa reported the highest topsoil moisture level with 98 percent in adequate to surplus, while west central and north central Iowa reported the highest subsoil moisture levels with both at 90 percent adequate to surplus.

Seven percent of the corn acreage has been planted, 4 days ahead of last year, but equal to the 5-year average. Nearly one-third of the State’s expected oat crop was planted during the week, third highest percentage seeded for the third week of April in 20 years.

Seventy-four percent of the oat crop has been planted, over two weeks ahead of last year, and one week ahead of the average. Oats emerged reached 21 percent, one week ahead of last year, but fractionally behind normal.

Pasture condition improved to 52 percent good to excellent. Pastures continued to green up, with reports coming out of central Iowa of cows being moved to pasture. Livestock conditions were reported as good.


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

A pair of storm systems brought widespread rain to Iowa this past reporting week. The first event from late Sunday (12th) into Monday (13th) morning brought a statewide average of 0.34 inches of rain with largest amounts along the Missouri border, where a few locations received over an inch, and least along the Minnesota border. The other event began Saturday (18th) morning over southwest Iowa and continued into Monday (20th) morning over eastern Iowa. This second event brought a statewide average of 1.17 inches of rain with an inch or more falling over a broad area from
southwest, through central, into parts of north central Iowa. Much lesser amounts fell over the far northwest corner of the state and near the Illinois border. There was also some very light rainfall over southwest and west central Iowa on Wednesday (15th). Rain totals for the week varied from 0.15 inches at Lester (Lyon County) to 2.93 inches at Bedford.  The statewide average precipitation for the week as a whole was 1.51 inches while normal for the period is 0.85 inches. Meanwhile, Temperatures were above normal throughout the week with warmest readings from Thursday (16th) through Saturday (18th), but with unseasonably mild readings persisting into Sunday (19th) over far eastern Iowa. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged 7.8 degrees above normal. Nevertheless, a freeze was recorded over portions of Iowa on Tuesday (14th) morning with Elkader the cold spot at 27 degrees. On the other extreme temperatures reached 82 degrees at Donnellson (Lee County) on Friday (17th). Soil temperatures at the four inch depth as of Sunday (19th) were
averaging in the low fifties northwest to low sixties far southeast but will be falling substantially with much cooler weather expected to persist throughout the coming week.



USDA Weekly Crop Progress

Spring wheat planting jumped 19 percentage points in the week ended April 19, but corn planting only increased 6 percentage points in that time, according to USDA's weekly Crop Progress and Conditions reports.

The nation's corn was 9% planted compared to 2% last week and a 13% five-year average.

Spring wheat was 36% planted compared to 17% last week and a 19% average.

Winter wheat was 16% headed compared to 6% last week and a 15% average.  Forth-two percent of winter wheat was rated good to excellent, the same as a week ago.

Cotton was 8% planted as of Sunday, compared to 4% last week and an 11% average. Rice was 32% planted and 17% emerged, compared to 26% and 8% last week and 42% and 23% averages.

Sorghum was 19% planted compared to 16% last week and a 22% average. Oats were 59% planted, compared to 43% last week and a 53% average. Oats were 32% emerged. Barley was 43% planted compared to 24% on average.