Drier weather brings Iowa planting near completion

Warmer and drier conditions during the week ending Sunday, June 5, brought 2011 corn and soybean planting near completion across Iowa.

Temperatures averaged 5.6 degrees above normal for the week, while precipitation averaged only .69 inches, compared to an average of 1.06 inches for the week. Farmers had an average of 4.3 days suitable for field work.

Farmers had planted nearly all of the state's corn acreage and 94 percent of the state's soybean acreage as of Sunday, according to the United States Department of Agriculture's Weekly crop report.

The report said 96 percent of the corn acreage and 78 percent of the state's soybean crop has emerged, just ahead of the five-year average of 94 percent and 74 percent. The first cutting of alfalfa was 33 percent complete, slightly below the five-year average of 39 percent complete.

The condition of the corn acreage was rated 21 percent excellent, 60 percent good, 17 percent fair and 2 percent poor.

The slowest crop progress was in south central Iowa, where only 76 percent of soybean acreage had been planted. The fastest progress was in northwest Iowa, where 100 percent of the corn acreage had emerged and 97 percent of the soybean acreage had been planted.

In East Central Iowa, 96 percent of the corn and 82 percent of the soybeans had emerged. Both are slightly ahead of the five-year average for the same week.

Precipitation for the week was measured at 0.23 at Cedar Rapids and 0.74 in Iowa City.