Iowa's corn and soybean crops are ahead of schedule, but is good growing weather still in the forecast?

by | Jul 14, 2014 | Audio, News

DES MOINES, Iowa – Two thirds of Iowa’s corn and soybean crop this year are good to excellent, and both crops are ahead of schedule.

In yesterday’s crop progress report, USDA rated 76 percent of the corn crop and 73 percent of the soybean crop in Iowa as good to excellent. Additionally, 26 percent of the corn is silking, 45 percent of the soybeans have bloomed, and 6 percent of the soybeans are setting pods.

Together, the data shows a corn and soybean crop slightly ahead of the 5-year pace. Growing conditions for both have been favorable across the Corn Belt, as evidenced by current prices. According to State Climatologist Harry Hillaker, the short-term outlook will continue the trend, at least as far as growing conditions here in Iowa are concerned.

“The temperature’s a bit on the mild side, for the most part,” says Hillaker. “Obviously, this week, it’s very, very mild now. Fortunately, also with sunny skies this coming week, with the cool weather, and generally, the crops respond pretty well to that, even if the temperatures are below usual, as long as you’ve got the sunshine. What you don’t want is rainy and cool this time of the year and, in this time of the year; where, like 1993 was like, where we never get enough sun to get things going.”

It is still too early to officially designate, but El Ni?o-like conditions seem to be in the cards. Generally that means cool and wet weather and averaged out, that has been the theme this year. But in the coming week or so, Hillaker says conditions will be a little different across the state.

“[It will be] pretty dry throughout that period,” Hillaker explains. “Not really significant rain chances until Saturday night, and even then, it doesn’t look like necessarily a whole lot of rain, at this point. Obviously, that can change a lot in five or six days’ time, but right now it looks like a fairly dry pattern coming up here. Most of the state; in fact, just about all of the state, is in pretty good shape for soil moisture, so a week without rain really shouldn’t cause a whole lot of problems.”

The crop progress report also showed that last week was the first since mid-June in which farmers across the state have had over three days suitable for fieldwork. Among the activities producers worked into the 4.2-day-long window last week were mid-season herbicide application, replanting drowned-out crops, and cutting hay.

?The dryer weather last week was very welcome as it allowed farmers to start getting back in the fields to get needed work done,? said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey. ?Much of the crop remains in good to excellent condition even as some of the damage from the extremely wet weather and strong storms earlier in the growing season was becoming even more apparent.? Among the activities producers worked into the 4.2-day-long window last week were mid-season herbicide application, replanting drowned-out crops, and cutting hay.

To hear more about crop conditions and the near-term forecast across Iowa, click here.