November 24 Crop and Harvest Progress Report - NE - IA - US

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For  the week  ending November  23,  2014,  cold,  but  dry  conditions allowed  final  harvest  activities  to  move  ahead,  according  to  the  USDA’s  National  Agricultural  Statistics Service.  Temperatures averaged 8  to 12 degrees below normal across eastern areas.  Snow was beginning  to melt as temperatures warmed toward the weekend.  Producers continued to move livestock onto stalk fields for grazing.  There were 5.6 days  suitable  for  fieldwork. Topsoil moisture  supplies  rated 8 percent very  short, 31 short,  60  adequate,  and  1  surplus.  Subsoil  moisture  supplies  rated  9  percent  very  short,  28  short, 62 adequate, and 1 surplus.
 
Field Crops Report:
Winter wheat conditions rated 0 very poor, 2 poor, 29 fair, 60 good, and 9 excellent. 

Corn harvested was 96 percent, near 95 last year and 92 for the five-year average.

Sorghum harvested was 97 percent, near 99 last year and 93 average.
 
Livestock,  Pasture  and  Range  Report: 
Pasture  and  range  conditions  rated  4  percent  very  poor,  5  poor,  32 fair, 55 good, and 4 excellent.  Stock water supplies rated 1 percent very short, 7 short, 91 adequate, and 1 surplus. 

This  is  the  last weekly Crop Progress  and Condition  report  for  the  2014  growing  season. We would  like  to extend  our  appreciation  to  the  dedicated  county  FSA  and  extension  staff  who  supplied  the  necessary information for  these reports. For December  through March, we will  issue monthly reports. The first monthly report (December) will be issued January 5, 2015. Weekly reports will begin April 6th for the 2015 season.
 


Access the National publication for Crop Progress and Condition tables at:  http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/nass/CropProg//2010s/2014/CropProg-11-24-2014.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 CROP PROGRESS AND HARVEST REPORT

Cold  temperatures and snow halted most activities early  in  the week, but  rising  temperatures  as  the weekend neared allowed  Iowa  farmers 3.7  days  suitable  for  fieldwork  during  the week  ending November 23,  2014,  according  to  the  USDA,  National  Agricultural  Statistics Service.    Some  tile  and  terrace  work  continued  despite  the  colder temperatures,  while  warmer  weather  over  the  weekend  allowed  for  corn harvest, fall tillage, and fertilizer applications.

Topsoil moisture  levels  rated  0 percent  very  short,  5 percent  short, 90 percent  adequate,  and 5 percent  surplus.   Subsoil moisture  levels rated  1 percent  very  short,  7 percent  short,  85 percent  adequate,  and 7 percent surplus.

Ninety-six percent  of  Iowa’s  corn  acreage  was  harvested,  equal  to 2013 but 2 days ahead of the five-year average.  Corn harvest in south central  Iowa  continued  to  trail  behind  the  rest of  the State with only 85 percent  complete.  Isolated  corn  fields  still  remain  to be harvested throughout the rest of the State. 

Soybean harvest was nearly complete with 99 percent of the acreage harvested.  

Grain movement from farm to elevator was rated 37 percent moderate to heavy, dropping 11 percentage points from the previous week.  Off-farm  grain  storage  availability  was  rated  at  93 percent  adequate  to surplus.  On-farm grain storage availability was 97 percent adequate to surplus.

Hay  and  roughage  supplies were  estimated  at 97 percent  adequate  to surplus.    Cold  and  snowy  conditions  tested  livestock,  and  some farmers have started to feed hay.



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

Very  cold  and  mostly  dry  weather  prevailed  through  Friday  (21st) across  Iowa.     Much warmer weather, with  some  light  rain,  arrived Friday night.         Temperatures  remained below  freezing across all of Iowa  until  early  on  Wednesday  (19th)  when  temperatures  briefly climbed above 32 degrees over extreme western Iowa.   Temperatures on Friday (21st) climbed above freezing over the southwest one-half of the state and climbed well above freezing statewide on Saturday (22nd) and  through most of Sunday  (23rd).     At Des Moines a  streak of 252 consecutive  hours  with  temperatures  below  freezing  ended  at  noon Friday  (21st).      This  streak  was  48  hours  longer  than  previously experienced  during  137  years  of  November  weather  records  at  Des Moines (old record was recorded for  the  last 204 hours of November 1985).     Temperature extremes varied  from a Friday morning  low of minus 6 degrees at Stanley  (Buchanan County)  to Saturday afternoon highs  of  57 degrees  at  numerous  southeastern  Iowa  locations.  Temperatures  for  the week  as  a whole  averaged  14.6 degrees  below normal.     Soils were  frozen  to  a depth of 5  to 9  inches  as of Friday (21st)  but were  completely  thawed  in many  areas  by  Sunday  (23rd).   Snow  flurries  were  common  each  day  from  Sunday  (16th)  through Thursday  (20th).      Dry  weather  prevailed  on  Friday  with  light  rain falling across the southeast one-half of Iowa Friday night into Saturday morning.   Donnellson reported the most precipitation with 0.37 inches of rain while much of the northwest one-half of the state recorded only trace  amounts.      The  statewide  average  precipitation  was  only  0.03 inches  while  normal  for  the  week  is  0.45  inches.      Heavier precipitation  fell  after  the  cut-off  for  this  week’s  report  on  Sunday (23rd) with rain amounts over an inch across east central and southeast Iowa while  snow accumulated  late Sunday night  across  the northeast one-half of the state.



USDA Weekly Crop Progress - Last Report of Season

With the nation's corn crop 94% harvested and the soybean crop 97% harvested, USDA issued its last weekly Crop Progress report for 2014.  Corn was 94% harvested as of Nov. 23, USDA reported, compared to 89% last week and a 92% five-year average. Soybeans were 97% harvested, compared to 94% and a 98% five-year average.

The winter wheat crop is planted and 92% emerged. That compares to 87% last week and an 89% five-year average. Winter wheat condition worsened slightly in the last week, falling to 58% good to excellent compared to 60% last week.



Dryness Still a Concern for Brazil Soy

Brazilian farmers had planted 76% of their 2014-15 soybean crop as of Friday, representing progress of some 13 percentage points compared with a week before and only slightly behind progress seen last year when 79% was harvested at the same time, AgRural, a local farm consultancy, reported Monday.

But while sufficient rain has fallen over the last four weeks for farmers to plant quickly in the Center-West and Southeast and make up for the month-long delays caused by a dry October, precipitation remains irregular across most of the soybean belt.

The lack of blanket rains, combined with high temperatures, has not only hindered the development of some crops, it has fostered caterpillar populations. The situation is not yet critical but must be watched, said AgRural in its weekly crop report.

Soybean planting is almost complete in Mato Grosso, the No. 1 producing state, at 93%. Planting is now only three percentage points behind that registered at the same point last year. In the south of the state, it hasn't rained for a few days but soil moisture remains good. In the top-producing mid-north, crops are looking healthy.

Mato Grosso do Sul had planted 95% of its crop. Soybeans in the north of the state are developing well, but the lack of rain in the south could become an issue if precipitation forecast for this week doesn't fall.

In Goias, the crop was 81% planted, up 14 percentage points on last week but still behind the 93% registered at the same point last year. The lack of rain is worrying farmers there, although losses have yet to be registered. The presence of Helicoverpa caterpillars has been noted in several areas.

Hot dry weather and caterpillars are also stressing farmers in Parana, where planting moved forward a relatively slow eight points last week to reach 84% complete.