Crop conditions remained positive in the latest Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). For the week ending Aug. 4, farmers had 4.8 days suitable for fieldwork, which focused primarily on harvesting oats for grain, cutting and baling hay, and applying fungicides. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says, “Before flipping the calendar into a warm first weekend of August, we finished up a particularly wet July for parts of Iowa with several rounds of thunderstorms. With the start of the Iowa State Fair this week, fairgoers can expect much more pleasant weather and temperatures.” Corn silking hit 92 percent, five days behind last year but even with the five-year average. Fifty-one percent of the corn crop has reached dough stage or beyond, three days ahead of the five-year average. Eight percent of the corn crop has reached the dent state. Corn conditions were rated 77 percent good to excellent. Ninety percent of soybeans were blooming, one week behind last year but a day ahead of the normal. Soybeans setting pods reached 58 percent, five days behind last year and three days behind the five-year average. Soybean conditions measured 76 percent good to excellent. Topsoil moisture conditions were rated 13 percent short to very short, 76 percent adequate, and 11 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture conditions rated 12 percent short to very short, 79 percent adequate, and nine percent surplus. The complete report is available online at www.nass.usda.gov.
