Hit-and-miss showers were reported across Iowa last week. Even though some areas missed the needed rainfall, or only received a small amount, crops are hanging in there, drawing on subsoil moisture supplies. For the week ending July 19, USDA’s weekly crop conditions survey rates Iowa’s corn crop 80% good-to-excellent. The state’s soybean crop is rated 79% good-to-excellent.

“We could use a rain,” said Buena Vista County farmer Justin Lange on July 16. “We just got a few sprinkles here today. It seems like the bigger rains bypass us. Many farmers are having fungicides applied on corn, and the crop overall looks good.”

Lange says soybean fields in his area of northwest Iowa also look good but will need more rain in coming weeks as they start to set pods.

“Corn is tasseling and silking across much of our area,” said Paul Kassel, ISU Extension agronomist at Spencer. “I expect the average pollination date will be around July 18 for our area of northwest Iowa. We are short on rainfall with much of the area listed on the Drought Monitor as being D0, or abnormally dry.” 

Corn looking good at pollination

In northeast Iowa, Jim Dawson, farming near Manchester, said, “Our farm received a sprinkle last week, while just a few miles north of us, those folks got 2.5 inches. Even so, crops still look pretty good, as we are moving through the pollination period.”

Commenting on the latest weekly USDA crop conditions report released July 20, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said: “Portions of southern Iowa received some much-needed rainfall over the last several days, although western Iowa missed out on much of the moisture. The heat also turned up across Iowa, with heat indexes hitting the triple digits last week. The good news is the temperature outlook is more moderate for this week with additional chances of rain.”
The complete weekly Iowa Crop Progress and Condition report is available on USDA’s site at nass.usda.gov/ia

Crop progress

Although some areas of Iowa received over 3 inches of rain, statewide Iowa farmers had 5.7 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending July 19, according to USDA’s National Ag Statistics Service. Fieldwork activities included spraying, harvesting hay and grain movement.
Topsoil moisture is rated 9% very short, 20% short, 69% adequate and 2% surplus. Subsoil moisture is rated 6% very short, 19% short, 73% adequate and 2% surplus.

Statewide, corn in the silking stage or beyond reached 69%, nine days ahead of the previous year and three days ahead of the five-year average. Corn in the dough stage reached 6%, which is eight days ahead of the previous year and four days ahead of the five-year average. Corn condition is rated 80% good-to-excellent.

Soybeans blooming reached 74%, which is two weeks ahead of last year and five days ahead of average. Soybeans setting pods reached 29%, just over two weeks ahead of last year and four days ahead of average. Soybean condition is rated 79% good-to-excellent.

Oats turning color reached 90%, about eight days ahead of last year and four days ahead of the average. Oats harvested for grain reached 24%, which is five days ahead of last year but one day behind the average. Oat condition is rated 81% good-to-excellent.
Alfalfa hay second cutting reached 76% harvested, nine days ahead of last year and four days ahead of average. Hay condition is rated 68% good-to-excellent. Pasture condition is rated 56% good-to-excellent. Heat stress and increased insect populations continue to affect livestock.

Weather summary

A combination of unseasonably cool and warm days during the reporting period led to near normal temperatures across Iowa last week. “The statewide average temperature for the week ending July 19 was 74.6 degrees F, which is 0.7 degrees below normal,” said Justin Glisan, state climatologist at the Iowa Department of Agriculture. “While above-average rain was reported in Iowa’s southern one-third, dryness persisted over the rest of the state, nearly an inch below average. West-central Iowa continued to experience the driest conditions, with rainfall deficits continuing to accumulate.”

Weekly rain totals ranged from no accumulation at multiple stations in western Iowa to 3.56 inches at Ackworth in south-central Iowa. Statewide weekly average rainfall was 0.75 inch, while normal is 1.02 inches.

Little Sioux in western Iowa (Harrison County) had the week’s high temperature of 98 degrees on July 18, which is 12 degrees above normal. Mason City (Cerro Gordo County) in northern Iowa reported the week’s low temperature of 44 degrees on July 16, which is 17 degrees below normal. This reading ties with 1912 as that weather station’s record low temperature for the date.

U.S. corn crop steady

Looking at the corn crop nationally, USDA rates it equal to a week ago. Soybeans are improved by 1% over last week’s rating.

As of July 19, USDA rates the 2020 corn crop at 69% good-to-excellent. The survey shows 59% of the nation’s corn is in the silking stage, versus a 54% five-year average for this date. Silking progress in Iowa and Indiana is ahead of the five-year average by 10%. Meanwhile, corn silking in North Dakota is 7% behind the five-year average. And 9% of the corn crop has entered dough stage, versus a 7% five-year average.

The U.S. soybean crop is now 64% in blooming stage, compared to a 57% five-year average for this date. And 25% of the U.S. soybean crop is setting pods, versus a 21% five-year average. USDA estimates the nation’s soybean crop is 69% good-to-excellent, versus 68% a week ago.