September 3 Crop Progress and Condition Report

Nebraska Drought Deepens; Silage, Seed, and High Moisture Corn Harvest Gain Momentum

Agricultural  Summary: 
For  the  week  ending  September 2, 2012, temperatures in the triple digits along with little  precipitation  continued  to  deepen  drought  conditions blanketing  the  state,  according  to  USDA’s  National Agricultural  Statistics  Service,  Nebraska  Field  Office.  Dryland corn harvest continues while harvest of high moisture and  seed  corn  picked up momentum.   Fire  risk  remains high with  producers  encouraged  to monitor  harvesting  equipment.  Numerous  drought  damaged  corn  fields  have  been  chopped for  silage  or  baled  for  hay.   The  first  fields  of winter wheat have been seeded in western counties as well as the first fields of  proso  millet  were  harvested.   With  pasture  conditions  in over  95  percent  of  the  state  rated  in  poor  or  very  poor condition,  cattle  producers  continue  supplemental  feeding  of livestock.  Culling and marketing of livestock continues due to \reduced forage supplies.  
 
Weather Summary: 
Temperatures averaged 10-12 degrees above normal in the west and 7-9 degrees above normal in the east. Highs  reached  triple digits and  lows were  in  the mid  to upper 50’s.  Little to no precipitation fell across the state.  Topsoil Moisture (%):  Very Short  72, Short   25,    Adequate  3, Surplus   0.  Subsoil Moisture:  Very Short  72,    Short  25, Adequate  3, Surplus    0.  GDD Since April 15 (vs. normal):  Concord 2730  (2730),  Elgin 2689  (2672),  West Point 2750  (2808),  Mead 2876  (2877).   Rainfall inches by district since April 1 (% of normal):  NE 10.84 (63%),  EC 12.08 (67%),  SE 13.32 (71%). 
 
Field  Crops  Report: 
Corn  in  the  dent  stage  reached  93 percent, ahead of 66 last year and 70 average.  Corn mature  reached 36 percent, compared to 2 last year and 19 days ahead of  5  average.    Corn  harvested  for  grain  was  7  percent, compared  to  0  last  year  and  average.   Corn  conditions  rated  22  percent  very  poor,  21  poor,  27  fair,  28  good,  and  2 excellent, well below 76 percent good  to excellent  last year and  77  average.   Irrigated  corn  conditions  rated  50  percent good to excellent and dryland corn rated 3.  

Soybeans turning color were at 48 percent, compared to 9 last year  and  11  days  ahead  of  16  average.  Soybeans  dropping leaves were 7 percent, compared to 0 last year and 1 average.  Conditions  rated  20  percent  very  poor,  25  poor,  35  fair,  19  good,  and  1  excellent,  well  below  last  year’s  80  percent good to excellent and 76 average.

The  first  fields of winter wheat were  seeded with progress at  1 percent, behind both 8 percent last year and 6 average.

Sorghum  headed  was  88  percent,  behind  99  last  year  and  98 average.  Sorghum turning color was 29 percent, compared to  65  last  year  and  49  average.    Sorghum  conditions  rated  9  percent  very  poor,  40  poor,  37  fair,  14  good,  and  0 excellent, well below 78 percent good  to excellent  last year and average.

The  fourth  cutting  of  alfalfa  was  46  percent  complete, compared  to  15  last  year  and  12  average.   Alfalfa  condition rated  45  percent  very  poor,  29  poor,  17  fair,  8  good,  and  1 excellent, well below 77 percent good  to excellent  last year and 70 average.  
 
Livestock, Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and  range conditions  rated  72  percent  very  poor,  24  poor,  4  fair,  0  good,  and  0  excellent,  well  below  72  percent  good  to excellent last year and 69 average.  



Current Weather & Crops County Comments
Survey Date: 09/02/2012

BOONE
Some high moisture corn is being harvested at this time.

DIXON
Large numbers of corn acres have been cut for silage. Producers are preparing equipment for grain harvest with a number of corn fields being combined last week. Completion of harvest is expected to be early this year.

DODGE
Corn is being harvested with yields from 0-100 bu/ac on dryland. The hay harvest is very low for 3rd and 4th cuttings.

KNOX
Silage harvest is wrapping up. A large number of dryland acres were harvested this way. Heat this past week probably hurt soybeans. Most cattle are being supplemented on pasture.

LANCASTER
I counted soybean pods in 2 dryland fields in western Lancaster county today (8/31) there were 17 pods per plant on field 1 and 26 pods per plant on field 2. About 60 percent of pods have 3 beans, 20% had 2 beans and 20% had 1 bean developing in the pods.

NEMAHA
The rain 10 days ago will help some of later soybeans fill out better. Pastures will green up with the rain as well. Farmers are doing a lot of harvesting of corn.

OTOE
Aflatoxin is starting to show up in more corn around the area.

SALINE
No rain this week with hot windy conditions. This was very hard on the dryland soybean crop.



Click here for the latest national progress numbers... http://usda01.library.cornell.edu/usda/current/CropProg/CropProg-09-04-2012.txt. 



Corn Harvest for Silage, Grain Picks Up in Iowa

Last week’s warm and dry conditions promoted rapid maturation in Iowa’s drought-damaged crops.   As farmers continue  to chop corn  for  silage,  farmers  are  also  harvesting  grain  according  to USDA’s  National  Agricultural  Statistics  Service,  Iowa  Field Office.    Some  of  the  farmers who  are  harvesting  for  grain  are also  baling  the  stalks.    A  few  reports  of  aflatoxin  have  been received.

There were 6.5 days suitable  for fieldwork statewide during  the past week.   Topsoil moisture  levels declined  to 50 percent very short,  34 percent  short,  15 percent  adequate,  and  1 percent surplus.    Subsoil  moisture  also  declined  and  is  now  rated  at 66 percent very  short, 29 percent  short, 5 percent adequate, and 0 percent surplus.

Ninety-one percent of  the corn crop has  reached  the dent  stage, ahead  of  last  year’s  81 percent  and  the  five  year  average  of 64 percent.   Fifty percent of the corn crop is now mature, ahead of both  last year and  the  five year average of 11 percent.   Corn condition  is  reported  at  23 percent  very  poor,  32 percent  poor, 32 percent fair, 13 percent good, and 0 percent excellent.  

Fifty-one percent  of  the  soybean  crop  is  turning  color,  a  jump  of 32 percentage  points  from  last week.    Seven percent  of  Iowa’s soybean fields are dropping leaves, one week ahead of last year. Soybean  condition  is  reported  at  13 percent  very  poor, 24 percent poor, 40 percent  fair, 21 percent good, and 2 percent excellent.  

Harvest of  third cutting of alfalfa hay, at 98 percent complete continues to be a month ahead of normal. One-fifth  of  Iowa’s  pasture  and  range  land  is  rated  in  fair  or better  condition.    Pasture  and  range  condition  rated  51 percent very poor, 29 percent poor, 17 percent  fair, 3 percent good, and 0 percent  excellent.    The  warmer  weather  caused  little  if  any stress to livestock with no issues reported for the week.



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

After  a  few weeks  of  relatively  cooler  and wetter weather,  the past  week  brought  a  return  of  July  heat  and  dryness.  Temperatures  were  above  normal  every  day  of  the  reporting week, averaging 6.9 degrees above normal.  Parts of west central Iowa,  including  Sioux  City  and  Logan,  saw  high  temperatures climb  to  ninety degrees  or  higher  every  day  with  Sioux  City setting  daily  record  highs  of  101 degrees  on Wednesday  (29th) and  102 degrees  on  Thursday  (30th).    Mason  City  Airport reported  the  lowest  temperature  of  the  week  with  a  Monday (27th)  morning  low  of  48 degrees.    Much  higher  humidity returned this past week, but without being accompanied by much rain.  The remnants of Hurricane Isaac brought light to moderate rain  to  far  southeast  Iowa  from Friday  (31st) night  into Sunday (2nd) morning.  However, no measureable rain fell anywhere else in  Iowa  during  the week.    The  statewide  average  precipitation was  only  0.07  inch while  normal  for  the  week  is  0.89  inches.  Much  of Van Buren,  Lee  and Des Moines  counties  saw more than  an  inch  of  rain  with  Donnellson  reporting  the  most  with 2.12 inches.