Iowa farmers are fully into preparations for the 2024 planting season, but conditions are not quite there yet, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Weekly Crop Progress and Condition Report for the week ending April 7. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says, “Soil temperatures are slowly warming up, the crop insurance coverage window will soon be opening, and a more active weather pattern is helping to replenish some soil moisture. This time of year, nothing can eclipse farmers’ focus on getting ready for planting once conditions are favorable.” Iowans saw colder-than-normal temperatures during the past week with rain and snow leaving farmers just 2.8 days suitable for fieldwork, which included minimal anhydrous, manure, and dry fertilizer applications. High winds prevented spraying in the latter half of the week. Conditions remain dry, with 49 percent of topsoil rated short to very short on moisture, 47 percent adequate, and four percent surplus. Subsoil conditions rated 64 percent short to very short, 34 percent adequate, and two percent surplus. Oats seeding reached 32 percent complete, six days ahead of last year and a week ahead of the five-year average. Producers have not reported any cattle turned out to pasture, but the calving season is underway, with reports of mud in some regions of the state. The weekly USDA Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report is available online in its entirety at www.nass.usda.gov.
