October 22 Crop Progress & Harvest Report - NE - IA - US

NEBRASKA CROP PROGRESS AND CONDITION

For the week ending October 21, 2018, there were 5.0 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 0 percent very short, 5 short, 83 adequate, and 12 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 1 percent very short, 9 short, 82 adequate, and 8 surplus.

Field Crops Report:
Corn condition rated 2 percent very poor, 5 poor, 13 fair, 50 good, and 30 excellent. Corn harvested was 34 percent, ahead of 25 last year, but near 37 for the five-year average.

Soybean condition rated 2 percent very poor, 6 poor, 13 fair, 54 good, and 25 excellent. Soybeans harvested was 54 percent, behind 62 last year, and well behind 75 average.

Winter wheat condition rated 2 percent very poor, 6 poor, 25 fair, 50 good, and 17 excellent. Winter wheat planted was 92 percent, near 93 last year, and behind 97 average. Emerged was 83 percent, ahead of 75 last year, but near 84 average.

Sorghum condition rated 1 percent very poor, 2 poor, 16 fair, 58 good, and 23 excellent. Sorghum harvested was 43 percent, ahead of 32 last year, and near 42 average.

Pasture and Range Report:
Pasture and range conditions rated 2 percent very poor, 4 poor, 18 fair, 61 good, and 15 excellent.



IOWA CROP PROGRESS & CONDITION REPORT

Sunshine and a break from substantial precipitation got Iowa farmers back in the fields with 4.4 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending October 21, 2018, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Activities for the week included harvesting corn and soybeans, baling stalks and planting cover crops.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 0 percent very short, 0 percent short, 65 percent adequate and 35 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 0 percent very short, 2 percent short, 61 percent adequate and 37 percent surplus.

Twenty-nine percent of the State’s corn for grain crop has been harvested, 3 days ahead of last year but 4 days behind the five-year average. Farmers in southeast Iowa have neared the halfway point of corn for grain harvest while farmers in the northeast have not yet harvested one-fifth of their corn for grain. Moisture content of field corn being harvested was at 19 percent. Corn condition rated 68 percent good to excellent.

Soybean harvest was 37 percent complete, 12 days behind the average. This is the smallest percentage of the soybean crop harvested by October 21 since 1985. Soybean condition rated 65 percent good to excellent.

Pasture conditions rated 55 percent good to excellent. Pastures have responded well to recent precipitation and cool temperatures. Cattle lots are still muddy but improving.



Corn, Soybean Harvest Slows Again Last Week

The nation's soybean harvest fell further behind the normal pace last week, and corn harvest also slowed to just a couple points ahead of average, USDA's National Ag Statistics Service said in its weekly Crop Progress report on Monday.

As of Sunday, Oct. 21, 53% of the soybean crop was harvested, 16 points behind the five-year average of 69%. That's slightly further behind average than the previous week when harvest stood at 15 points behind the five-year average.  Despite concerns about the quality of the crop in some parts of the country, NASS left its good-to-excellent condition rating for soybeans unchanged at 68% last week.

Corn harvest also slowed again last week. At 49% complete, harvest was only 2 percentage points ahead of the average pace of 47%. That was nearer to normal than the previous week when harvest was 4 percentage points ahead of the five-year average.  Corn condition also held steady nationwide last week at 68% good to excellent.

Winter wheat planting was 72% complete as of Sunday, near 73% last year at the same time but behind the five-year average of 77%. Winter wheat emerged, at 53%, was ahead of last year's 50% but slightly behind the average pace of 55%.

Forty-six percent of the sorghum crop was harvested as of Sunday, up just 4 percentage points from the previous week, equal to last year and 10 percentage points behind the five-year average of 56%.