Five days good for fieldwork has more or less wrapped up planting in Iowa according to the Iowa Crop Progress report.
All of corn is planted and 91 percent has emerged. Eighty-one percent of the corn crop is in good or excellent condition.
About 93% of beans in Iowa are planted, 12 days ahead of the five year average, while 72% have emerged. Beans are rated at 80%t good or excellent.
Hay conditions are up to 69% good to excellent while pasture conditions are 63% good to excellent.
Dr. Dennis Todey, Director of the USDA Midwest Climate at Iowa State University says April was the coldest on record and May was in the top four warmest.
He says the warmth has pushed crops along from a late planting start, but there can be challenges, “By the time you’re getting in the up 90s or 100s, you’re starting to produce some potential stress issues and heat this early in the season is usually accompanied with dry conditions and does give us a little bit of concern as we head into the season because when you start seeing these kind of temperatures early, that can be some indicator of what we may be seeing later on this summer.”
The heat has helped dry out northern Iowa, which had too much rain during planting.
Topsoil and subsoil moisture levels are at 19% short to very short; however, that heat has continued to be tough on water levels in other parts of the state. South Central Iowa is at 71% short to very short moisture levels.
April is normally the kickoff to severe weather in Iowa but because it was so cool, there has not been much of that this year.
Todey says, “Because of our cold temperatures, we just didn’t have the conditions available for starting severe weather. We’ve started having some severe weather now. Still not many tornadoes, which people are probably pretty happy about legitimately, we have had some hail and some wind damage in places.”