Dryness and drought continues in the same parts of Iowa as a week prior.
The U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday didn?t show much change week-to-week for Iowa. The state?s coverage of D2 Severe Drought increased from 35.62% last week to 37.89% this week. State Climatologist Dr. Justin Glisan says rains in late June helped slow down drought degradation across the state.
?This week?s Drought Monitor map was basically status quo,? said Glisan. ?We had a few slight changes. Eastern Iowa saw some improvement given 2-4 inch rainfalls. We then had some degradation around Waterloo ? a D2 expansion east where we?ve seen an island of dryness start to form over the last six months.?
The latest Crop Progress Report for Iowa said the state?s corn crop rated 62% good to excellent and soybeans were rated 59%. Glisan says his recent trips scouting crop fields have revealed corn and soybeans look healthy around Iowa.
?Surprisingly enough, given the dryness, corn and beans look pretty good,? said Glisan. ?We?re seeing some tassels start to pop out. Tasseling and pollination we expect in July. We have had some hail events that defoliated soybeans fields.?
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor can be viewed here.
