Dry weather helps farmers with planting

Dry weather across most of the state allowed planting to progress during the week that ended Sunday, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Eighty percent of the corn crop has been planted, a day ahead of last year and eight days ahead of the five-year average. Farmers in north central and central Iowa have planted over 90 percent of their corn crop.

Twenty-eight percent of the corn crop has emerged, two days ahead of last year and five days ahead of normal. Twenty-nine percent of Iowa's soybean acreage has been planted, five days ahead of normal.

Sowing of the state's oat crop is nearing completion. Oat emergence reached 84 percent, three days ahead of the last year and nine days ahead of the average. Oat condition was rated 74 percent good to excellent.

Hay condition was rated 73 percent good to excellent. Pasture condition was rated 70 percent good to excellent, an increase of 5 percentage points from the previous week.

Topsoil moisture levels were rated 2 percent short, 80 percent adequate and 18 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels were rated 1 percent short, 84 percent adequate and 15 percent surplus. The western third of Iowa reported 20 percent or more with surplus subsoil moisture.

'Western Iowa has been wetter throughout the planting season,” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey said in a news release. 'Only 65 percent of corn in southwest and 68 percent of corn in northwest Iowa has been planted.”

Weekly rain totals varied from sprinkles at Sidney to 0.86 inches at Davenport. Statewide average precipitation was 0.24 inches, or about one-fourth of the weekly normal of 0.98 inches.

Soil temperatures at the 4-inch depth were averaging in the mid-50s to low 60s as of Sunday.