July 9 Crop Progress & Condition Report - NE - IA - US

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending July 8, 2018, there were 5.2 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 2 percent very short, 12 short, 78 adequate, and 8 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 3 percent very short, 17 short, 74 adequate, and 6 surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn condition rated 1 percent very poor, 2 poor, 11 fair, 65 good, and 21 excellent. Corn silking was 31 percent, ahead of 13 both last year and for the five-year average.

Soybean condition rated 1 percent very poor, 3 poor, 13 fair, 67 good, and 16 excellent. Soybeans blooming was 50 percent, near 48 last year, and ahead of 34 average. Setting pods was 1 percent, near 2 average.

Winter wheat condition rated 5 percent very poor, 7 poor, 19 fair, 55 good, and 14 excellent. Winter wheat harvested was 25 percent, well behind 47 last year, and near 27 average.

Sorghum condition rated 0 percent very poor, 2 poor, 17 fair, 66 good, and 15 excellent. Sorghum headed was 13 percent, ahead of 4 last year and 2 average.

Oats condition rated 1 percent very poor, 4 poor, 35 fair, 50 good, and 10 excellent. Oats harvested was 16 percent, behind 23 last year, but near 12 average.

Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 2 percent very poor, 5 poor, 19 fair, 61 good, and 13 excellent.



IOWA CROP PROGRESS & CONDITION REPORT

Warm weather and drier conditions allowed Iowa farmers 4.8 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending July 8, 2018, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Activities for the week included, herbicide and fungicide applications, detasseling seed corn and harvesting hay.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 2 percent very short, 9 percent short, 72 percent adequate and 17 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 4 percent very short, 10 percent short, 69 percent adequate and 17 percent surplus. Some fields remain ponded and have struggled to drain in the more saturated northern two-thirds of the State. In south central and southeast Iowa topsoil moisture supplies remain one-third to one-half short to very short.

Thirty-five percent of the corn crop has silked, 8 days ahead of both last year and the 5-year average. Seventy-eight percent of the corn crop was rated in good to excellent condition.

Forty-six percent of the soybean crop was blooming, over one week ahead of the average. Seven percent of the soybean crop was setting pods, 3 days ahead of last year and 6 days ahead of the average. Seventy-six percent of the soybean crop was rated in good to excellent condition.

Ninety-seven percent of the oat crop has headed with 51 percent turning color, 2 days ahead of the average. Seventy-eight percent of the oat crop was rated in good to excellent condition.

The second cutting of alfalfa hay reached 49 percent complete, 6 days ahead of average. Drier conditions provided producers a window to put up more hay. Hay condition declined to 71 percent good to excellent.

Pasture conditions also declined slightly to 64 percent good to excellent. Heat and high humidity have been hard on livestock, but cool overnight temperatures have helped reduce stress.



Corn, Soybean Development Well Ahead of Normal

Corn and soybean development was well ahead of the five-year average pace nationwide at the end of last week, according to the USDA National Ag Statistics Service's weekly Crop Progress report released Monday.

NASS estimated that 37% of corn was silking as of Sunday, July 8, 19 percentage points ahead of 18% for both last year and the five-year average. Corn's condition rating fell just slightly again from 76% good to excellent the previous week to 75% last week.

Soybean development was also running well ahead of normal, with NASS estimating 47% of the crop blooming as of Sunday, 20 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 27%. Eleven percent of soybeans were estimated to be setting pods, 7 percentage points ahead of the average pace of 4%.  Soybean condition held steady from the previous week with a rating of 71% good to excellent.

Meanwhile, NASS estimated that 63% of winter wheat was harvested as of Sunday, slightly behind last year's pace of 65%, but slightly ahead of the five-year average of 61%. Ninety-two percent of winter wheat had been harvested in Kansas as of Sunday.

Spring wheat was 81% headed as of Sunday, ahead of last year's 76% and also ahead of the five-year average of 69%. The condition of the crop jumped 3 percentage points from 77% good to excellent the previous week to 80% good to excellent as of Sunday.

Sorghum was 25% headed, behind 28% last year and behind the five-year average of 27%. Sorghum coloring was 17%, even with both last year and the five-year average. Sorghum condition slipped again from 53% good to excellent the previous week to 51% last week.

Barley was 78% headed as of Sunday, ahead of 69% last year and also ahead of the average pace of 73%. Oats were 91% headed, slightly behind 92% last year but slightly ahead of the average of 89%. Ten percent of oats were harvested as of Sunday, near 9% for both last year and the five-year average.

Rice was 21% headed as of Sunday, equal to last year and slightly ahead of the average of 20%. Cotton was 59% squaring, ahead of the average of 55%. Twenty-one percent of cotton was setting bolls, also ahead of the average pace of 15%. The good-to-excellent category was also up 1 percentage point for both crops last week. Rice's good-to-excellent condition rating rose by 1 percentage point last week, while cotton's good-to-excellent rating dropped by 2 percentage points.