Iowa corn crop looks to be emerging on schedule

Warmer temperatures and sunshine allowed Iowa farmers to get back into their fields to plant crops as well as harvest a third of the first cutting of alfalfa hay.

Statewide there were 4.3 days suitable for fieldwork in the week that ended Sunday.

Ninety-six percent of the corn crop has emerged, four days ahead of the five-year average, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service. Eighty-two percent of the corn crop was rated good to excellent.

Soybean planting reached 88 percent complete, nine days behind last year and a day behind average. Southwest Iowa farmers at 51 percent and south central Iowa producers with 65 percent of their crop in the ground lag behind in the planting of their expected soybean acreage.

Soybean emergence reached 71 percent, four days behind last year. The first soybean condition rating of the season came in at 2 percent poor, 18 percent fair, 67 percent good and 13 percent excellent.

Topsoil moisture levels were rated 3 percent short, 78 percent adequate and 19 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels were rated 5 percent short, 81 percent adequate and 14 percent surplus.

South central Iowa had the highest topsoil moisture level at 100 percent rated adequate to surplus. North central Iowa reported the highest subsoil moisture levels rated at 99 percent adequate to surplus.

The first cutting of alfalfa hay went from a week behind normal to even with the five-year average this week and stands at 49 percent complete. Hay conditions were rated 81 percent good to excellent.

'Unfortunately, southwest and south central Iowa continue to battle wet conditions that have slowed planting progress and left them significantly behind the rest of the state,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey in a news release.

'Hopefully some warm temperatures and dry weather will allow farmers to get back in the fields to finish planting and do other needed fieldwork such as spraying and side dressing fertilizer.”