August 21 Crop Progress & Condition Report - NE - IA - US

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION
For the week ending August 20, 2017, temperatures averaged one to five degrees below normal, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Significant rainfall of an inch or more was received across most of the State, while some central counties received up to six inches of rain. There were 4.6 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 7 percent very short, 26 short, 63 adequate, and 4 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 11 percent very short, 31 short, 57 adequate, and 1 surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn condition rated 3 percent very poor, 10 poor, 24 fair, 45 good, and 18 excellent. Corn dough was 83 percent, near 85 last year, and equal to the five-year average. Dented was 28 percent, behind 38 last year and 36 average.

Soybean condition rated 3 percent very poor, 8 poor, 28 fair, 50 good, and 11 excellent. Soybeans setting pods was 89 percent, near 90 both last year and average.

Sorghum condition rated 3 percent very poor, 2 poor, 29 fair, 48 good, and 18 excellent. Sorghum headed was 92 percent, near 94 last year and 88 average. Coloring was 24 percent, behind 42 last year, but near 23 average.

Alfalfa condition rated 4 percent very poor, 12 poor, 34 fair, 43 good, and 7 excellent. Alfalfa third cutting was 83 percent complete, near 85 last year and 79 average. Fourth cutting was 24 percent, near 28 last year.

Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 5 percent very poor, 22 poor, 43 fair, 28 good, and 2 excellent. Stock water supplies rated 2 percent very short, 10 short, 88 adequate, and 0 surplus.



IOWA CROP PROGRESS & CONDITION REPORT

Much needed rain fell throughout the state of Iowa during the week ending August 20, 2017, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Statewide there were 4.8 days suitable for fieldwork. Activities for the week included haying and hauling grain.

Topsoil moisture levels improved to 19 percent very short, 31 percent short, 49 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. Topsoil moisture levels in south central and southeast Iowa remained over 90 percent short to very short. Subsoil moisture levels rated 22 percent very short, 34 percent short, 44 percent adequate and 0 percent surplus.

Seventy-eight percent of the corn crop was in or beyond the dough stage, one week behind last year. Twenty-one percent of the corn crop has reached the dent stage, one week behind last year and five days behind the 5-year average. Sixty-one percent of the corn crop was rated in good to excellent condition.

Eighty-eight percent of soybeans were setting pods, 4 days behind last year but equal to average. Soybean condition improved slightly to 58 percent good to excellent.

Almost all the oat crop for grain or seed has been harvested.

The third cutting of alfalfa hay reached 73 percent complete, 8 days ahead of last year and 10 days ahead of average.

Pasture condition improved to 19 percent very poor, 24 percent poor, 31 percent fair, 23 percent good and 3 percent excellent. Livestock conditions have been ideal with the cooler temperatures. However, available water supplies in ponds and creeks remains an issue for some producers and supplemental feeding has been required.



USDA Weekly Crop Progress

Crop conditions were mostly stable last week with corn condition unchanged from the previous week and soybean condition up just 1 percentage point in the good-to-excellent category, according to USDA's weekly Crop Progress report released Monday.

USDA estimated that 62% of corn was in good-to-excellent condition as of Sunday, Aug. 20, the same as the previous week. Corn progress continued to run slightly behind normal. Seventy-six percent of corn had reached the dough stage, down from 83% a year ago, and down slightly from the five-year average of 77%. Twenty-nine percent of corn was dented, down from 37% a year ago and down from the five-year average of 35% dented.

Soybean progress continued slightly ahead of normal with USDA estimating 97% of soybeans in the blooming stage as of Sunday, down from 98% a year ago and even with the five-year average of 97%. Eighty-seven percent of soybeans were setting pods, which was down from 88% a year ago, but above the five-year average of 85%.  Sixty percent of the soybean crop was rated in good-to-excellent condition as of Sunday, up 1 percentage point from 59% the previous week.

USDA also reported that 58% of spring wheat was harvested as of Sunday, down from 63% a year ago, but above the five-year average of 51% harvested. Thirty-four percent of spring wheat was rated in good-to-excellent condition up 1 percentage point from 33% the previous week.

Sorghum was 40% coloring, behind the average of 45%, and mature was 26%, also behind the average of 28% mature. Sorghum harvested was 19%, slightly ahead of the average of 18%. Sorghum condition improved to 66% good to excellent from 64% good to excellent the previous week.

Barley was 70% harvested as of Sunday, ahead of the average pace of 58%. Oats were 78% harvested, behind the average of 83%.

Cotton was 88% setting bolls and 12% bolls opening compared to an average pace of 88% setting bolls and 14% bolls opening. Cotton condition improved to 63% good to excellent from 61% good to excellent the previous week. Rice was 96% headed, ahead of the average of 92%, and 15% of rice was harvested as of Sunday, slightly ahead of the average of 14% harvested.