Iowa’s 2016 corn crop rating remains at 83% good to excellent as of August 14. That’s unchanged from the previous week, according to USDA’s latest weekly statewide survey. Soybeans improved 1% from the previous week, so that crop is also now rated as 83% good to excellent in Iowa.

“Crops generally remain in good condition statewide with 83% of corn and soybeans rated as good or excellent,” notes Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey. “The recent storms caused some isolated damage, but also brought some needed moisture during this critical time of the growing season for soybeans.”

LOOKING GOOD: Rain fell over much of Iowa last week. USDA’s latest statewide survey shows both the corn and soybean crops in 2016 are now 83% in the good-to-excellent category.

Iowa 2016 corn and soybeans are maturing ahead of normal
“We also have an early maturing crop this year, as corn and soybeans continue to progress with the warmer-than-normal weather we’ve been receiving,” notes Northey. “Iowa farmers will start harvesting in September in much of the state.”

USDA last Friday released it’s first of the season estimate of the 2016 corn and soybean yield and production. The USDA numbers indicate Iowa will harvest a record large corn crop and its second-largest-ever soybean crop this fall. That forecast is raising questions as to how elevators, co-ops and farmers are going to handle a crop of this size, as it is also an early maturing crop.

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

CROP REPORT: Above normal rainfall across much of Iowa limited fieldwork to 4.3 days suitable for the week ending August 14, 2016, according to USDA’s National Ag Statistics Service. Activities for the week included cutting hay and applying foliar fungicide and insecticides to crops. Spraying activities were wrapping up in some areas.

Iowa crops have 89% adequate to surplus subsoil moisture
Topsoil moisture levels rated 1% very short, 7% short, 83% adequate and 9% surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 2% very short, 9% short, 83% adequate and 6% surplus.

Also as of August 14, statewide 80% of the corn crop was in or beyond the dough stage, five days ahead of last year and 10 days ahead of the five-year average. And 23% of Iowa’s corn crop reached the dent stage, three days ahead of normal. Corn condition rated 83% good to excellent.

A few reports of some soybeans already starting to turn color
Soybeans blooming reached 97%, eight days ahead of the previous year. And 87% of soybeans were setting pods, with a few scattered reports of soybeans starting to turn color. Soybean condition is rated 83% good to excellent, although there were scattered reports of sudden death syndrome (SDS) across the state. Ninety-five percent of the Iowa oat crop for grain or seed has been harvested, equal to last year’s pace.

The third cutting of alfalfa hay is 52% complete, four days ahead of average. Hay condition is rated 73% good to excellent, while pasture condition is rated 62% good to excellent. Livestock conditions are reported as normal.

IOWA PRELIMINARY WEATHER SUMMARY—for week ending August 14, 2016
By Harry Hillaker, State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship

Rainfall averaged 2.2 inches, more than double Iowa’s normal amount
Dry weather prevailed across the state through Wednesday (Aug. 10) morning. Thunderstorms began developing Wednesday afternoon and continued increasing in coverage Wednesday night into Thursday. The heaviest rains came Thursday night into Friday morning when rain totals of 3 to 5 inches were common over large areas of central and east central Iowa, as well as over the far southwest corner of the state.

Most of the weekend was dry except for some isolated showers and thunderstorms in central Iowa Saturday (Aug. 13) night. Weekly rain totals varied from 0.62 inches at Dorchester in far northeast Iowa to 7.14 inches at Swisher in Johnson County. There was a statewide average of 2.20 inches of rain last week, or more than double the normal for the week of 0.98 inches.

Temperatures for the week averaged 2.5 degrees above normal
The past reporting week began mild with daytime highs mostly near 80 degrees on Monday (Aug. 8) while Estherville reported the lowest temperature of the week with a Monday morning minimum of 52 degrees F.

However, heat and humidity quickly returned on Tuesday with the hottest weather prevailing on Wednesday (Aug. 10) and Thursday (Aug. 11). Heat indices peaked at 110 degrees at Shenandoah on Wednesday and 113 at Mount Pleasant on Thursday. Actual air temperatures maxed out at 96 degrees at Sioux City on Wednesday and 97 at Lamoni on Thursday. Seasonal temperatures and humidity returned for the weekend. Temperatures for the week as a whole averaged 2.5 degrees above normal.