November 23 Crop Progress & Condition Report - NE - IA - US

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending November 22, 2015, snow blanketed western counties early in the week and northeastern counties over the weekend, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Rain preceded the snow in many areas with an inch or more common in the eastern two-thirds of the State. Fieldwork came to a halt as soils became too wet or snow covered to work.

Harvest was near completion in most areas except for the Panhandle. Temperatures averaged above normal across the east and below normal in western areas. There were 3.7 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 5 percent very short, 21 short, 71 adequate, and 3 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 5 percent very short, 25 short, 69 adequate, and 1 surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn harvested was at 95 percent, equal to last year, and near 97 for the five-year average.

Sorghum harvested was at 95 percent, near 96 last year and 99 average.

Winter wheat condition rated 0 percent very poor, 6 poor, 31 fair, 54 good, and 9 excellent.

Livestock, Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 3 percent very poor, 8 poor, 30 fair, 53 good, and 6 excellent.  Stock water supplies rated 2 percent very short, 11 short, 86 adequate, and 1 surplus.



Access the National publication for Crop Progress and Condition tables at:
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/CropProg/2010s/2015/CropProg-11-23-2015.pdf. 

Access the High Plains Region Climate Center for Temperature and Precipitation Maps at:
http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/maps.php?map=ACISClimateMaps. 

Access the U.S. Drought Monitor at:
http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NE. 



IOWA CROP PROGRESS & CONDITION REPORT

 Most fall fieldwork activity was already complete when fieldwork activities were halted due to wet conditions as well as accumulating snow during the week ending November 22, 2015, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Statewide there were 2.9 days suitable for fieldwork, down nearly two full days from the previous week due to a winter storm system that moved through Iowa on Friday. Activities for the week included harvesting corn for grain, hauling manure, and minimal fertilizer application.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 0 percent very short, 4 percent short, 84 percent adequate, and 12 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 2 percent very short, 9 percent short, 81 percent adequate and 8 percent surplus.

Ninety-eight percent of the corn crop for grain has been harvested. Some producers in south central Iowa have baled corn stocks as storms had knocked the corn down and they were unable to harvest the corn for grain.

Grain movement from farm to elevator was rated 36 percent moderate to heavy, down 7 percentage points from the previous week. Off-farm grain storage availability was rated 78 percent adequate to surplus. On-farm grain storage availability was rated 69 percent adequate to surplus.

Hay and roughage supplies were rated 97 percent adequate to surplus. Livestock conditions were described as normal, although lots are muddy due to a wetter than normal November.



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

It was a very wet week across Iowa with unseasonably warm weather transitioning to winter weather. Rain fell statewide on Monday (16th), Tuesday (17th) and Wednesday (18th) while temperatures were ten to twenty degrees above normal. Thursday (19th) brought dry weather and seasonal temperatures. Iowa’s first major winter storm of the season moved into northwest Iowa Friday (20th) morning and exited eastern Iowa Saturday (21st) morning. Heavy snow fell across much of northern Iowa with the greatest snow totals occurring over the far northwest with 15 inches falling at Rock Rapids. Snowfall totals of 8 to 12 inches were common from Lyon, Sioux and Plymouth counties along the South Dakota border east-southeastward to Clayton and Dubuque counties. Far southwest Iowa saw mostly light rain with the late week storm. Overall a statewide average of 5.9 inches of snow fell. A greater November snow total last occurred in 1991. Much colder weather followed the passage of the winter storm with daytime highs in the teens in the far northwest on Saturday. Spencer recorded a Saturday morning low of minus 4 degrees while Stanley in northeast Iowa saw a minus 5 degree reading on Sunday morning. Weekly precipitation totals varied from 0.75 inches at Decorah to 4.02 inches at Rock Rapids. The statewide average precipitation amount was 1.79 inches or four times the weekly normal of 0.45 inches. This was the wettest week in 13 weeks (mid-August). The week’s highest temperatures were recorded at Burlington and Keokuk on Tuesday with 64 degree readings. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged 2.1 degrees above normal with the early week warmth slightly cancelling out the late week cold.



USDA Weekly Crop Progress

Corn harvest is complete for 2015 and winter wheat planting is nearly done, according to USDA's latest weekly Crop Progress report.

Winter wheat planting is 96% complete, compared to 94% last week and a 100% five-year average. Ninety percent of the crop is emerged, compared to 87% last week and a 90% five-year average.  USDA reports that 53% of winter wheat was rated good-to-excellent.

Ninety-four percent of sorghum is harvested, compared to 91% last week and a 93% five-year average.

Seventy percent of the cotton crop is harvested, compared to 64% last week and an 82% five-year average.



Brazil Soybean Planting Continues To Lag

Brazilian soybean planting continued to lag last week with showers not making up for irregular rainfall in the first half of the month.  Farmers had planted just 70% of their soybean crop as of Friday, the lowest total since 2008, according to Agrural, a local farm consultancy.

Planting did move forward ten percentage points last week as showers returned to Mato Grosso but fieldwork remains six points behind the same point last year and 11 points behind the five-year average.  In many parts of Mato Grosso, soil moisture remains in deficit. The north and the west of the state are the worst affected with some replanting necessary, AgRural said. Showers are falling but they are light and irregular. Mato Grosso has planted 89% of its crop, down from the five-year average of 96%.

In southern Brazil, heavy showers continue.  Rain hindered efforts to finish planting in Parana, where fieldwork is 90% complete compared with a five-year average of 94%.  In Rio Grande do Sul, farmers planted in between showers last week and 49% of the state's crop is now in the ground, down from an average of 58%.