Wet week slows Iowa corn planting

Iowa farmers didn't have a chance to get caught up on planting last week, the wettest in the last 23 weeks.

The USDA said in its weekly crop report that only 3.4 days were suitable for field work across Iowa during the week end Sunday. An average of 1.21 inches of rain fell, 40 percent oabove the weekly normal of 0.79 inches.

Temperatures for the week averaged 0.1 degrees above normal, but weekend temperatures averaged five to ten degrees below normal.

Iowa farmers had planted just 2 percent of their corn acreage asof Sunda, compared with an average of 6percent and with 16 percent at this time last year.

Farmers had planted 64 percent of their oat acreage by the end of the week, compared to a five-year average of 47 percent.

Pasture conditions rated 3 percent very poor, 13 percent poor, 36 percent fair, 41 percent good and 7 percent fair.

Temperatures were slightly below normal for the week in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. Precipitation averaged 1.48 inches in Cedar Rapids, or 0.28 inches below normal, and 1.66 inches in Iowa City, 0.34 inches below normal.