Iowa farmers received an update on crop conditions late Monday afternoon.
The weekly Crop Progress Report says Iowa?s corn condition rated 60% good to excellent for the week ending June 27th. Soybean emergence was virtually complete. Across the State, 19% of soybeans were blooming, 6 days ahead of the five-year average. There were scattered reports of soybeans setting pods. Soybean condition was rated 58% good to excellent.
USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey has a detailed regional look at corn conditions. He says drought has impacted corn throughout the country.
?Currently 22% of North Dakota?s corn and one quarter of South Dakota?s corn rated in very poor to poor condition,? said Rippey. ?This week we see Minnesota moving into the double digits. It?s also rather dry in most of the state there. Eleven percent very poor to poor. We had some flooding as you move further to the south and east. We?re seeing Missouri coming in at 10% of the corn rated very poor to poor.?
Rippey also takes a look at the latest soybean ratings throughout the region.
?The biggest problem showing up across the upper Midwestern states with the Dakotas and Minnesota,? said Rippey. ?We see almost one-third, 31%, of the soybeans rated in very poor to poor condition in North Dakota, 23% in South Dakota, and Minnesota joined those two states this week in the double digits with 11% of the soybeans rated very poor to poor.?
In Iowa, the second cutting of alfalfa hay reached 7% complete, 4 days behind the 5-year average. Wet conditions slowed progress in some areas. Hay condition improved to 55% good to excellent, 6 percentage points above last week. Pasture condition also improved slightly to 40% good to excellent.
Some feedlots were muddy after recent rainfalls.