Iowa’s 2016 corn and soybean crops continue to make good progress generally, with 80% of both the corn and beans rated in good or excellent condition. That’s according to the latest statewide survey by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Crop reporters gathered the data from fields for the week ending June 5 and sent it to USDA-NASS, which analyzed and summarized the data and released the weekly Iowa Crop Progress & Condition report June 6.

LOOKING GOOD: There’s no shortage of soil moisture heading into the 2016 growing season in Iowa. Subsoil moisture statewide is averaging 85% adequate to 12% surplus. This field near Grinnell in east-central Iowa on June 3 was ready to be sidedressed with nitrogen.

“There are still a number of wet spots in some fields, especially across northern Iowa, that are yet to be planted or need to be replanted,” says Greg Thessen, director of the Iowa field office in Des Moines, which directs the USDA-NASS survey. Farmers have also made good progress on the first cutting of hay, with 60% complete, and that should continue with dry weather forecast for much of this week, he says.

Nationwide, corn crop has improved to 75% good to excellent
Nationwide, the weekly USDA crop and weather report shows the U.S. corn crop has improved to 75% good to excellent, up from 72% a week ago and 74% a year ago. Soybeans are 72% in good to excellent condition. This is the first USDA condition rating for soybeans this year. It tops the year-ago reading of 69%.

The complete weekly Iowa Crop Progress & Condition Report is available on the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship’s website www.IowaAgriculture.gov and on USDA’s site www.nass.usda.gov/ia. The report summary follows here.

Also, you can click on this Iowa State University Extension field agronomists link and get more information about your region's crop progress and field conditions in Iowa.

CROP REPORT: Fieldwork conditions improved across much of Iowa with only spotty rains during the week ending June 5, 2016, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Statewide there were 4.6 days suitable for fieldwork. Producers in the northern third of the state were still struggling with some wet spots in fields. Activities for the week included spraying, and sidedressing nitrogen.

Topsoil moisture levels rated zero percent very short, 4% short, 86% adequate and 10% surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated zero percent very short, 3% short, 85% adequate and 12% surplus.

Iowa’s soybean crop is rated 69% good and 11% excellent
The state’s 2016 corn crop is now 100% planted and 97% emerged, which is nine days ahead of normal. Statewide, 80% of the corn crop is rated good to excellent. Soybean planting reached 94% complete as of June 5. That’s 11 days ahead of both last year and the five-year average. Soybean emergence reached 78%, six days ahead of last year.

The first soybean condition rating of the season came in at zero percent very poor, 2% poor, 18% fair, 69% good and 11% excellent. Oats headed reached 39% as of June 5, one week ahead of last year and five days ahead of normal. Oat condition improved slightly to 84% good to excellent.

Mostly dry weather conditions allowed good progress on the first cutting of alfalfa hay with 60% complete, one week ahead of last year’s pace. Hay in Iowa conditions rated 79% good to excellent as of June 5. Pasture condition is rated 80% good to excellent. Livestock conditions are mostly reported to be excellent.

IOWA PRELIMINARY WEATHER SUMMARY—for week ending June 5, 2016
By Harry Hillaker, State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship

It was a warm week across Iowa with seasonal rainfall. Temperatures were above normal for most of the week although a few areas of northern Iowa slipped slightly cooler than normal on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Temperature extremes varied from Thursday (June 2) morning lows of 45 degrees F at Britt and Forest City to a Friday (June 3) afternoon high of 90 degrees at Little Sioux. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged 3.1 degrees above normal.

Thunderstorms were widespread on Monday (May 30), Tuesday (May 31) and Friday (June 3). Heaviest rains mostly fell over north-central and northeast Iowa while scattered areas of west-central, central and south-central Iowa saw less than one-quarter inch of rain for the week. Rain totals varied from 0.11 inches at Jamaica (Guthrie County) to 3.95 inches at New Hartford (Butler County). Statewide average precipitation was 0.99 inches, just slightly under the weekly normal of 1.13 inches.