With a statewide average weekly temperature of 79.8 degrees Fahrenheit, Iowa had one of its hottest starts to September on record, according to State Climatologist Justin Glisan.
The weekly average temperature was more than 11 degrees above the normal for the week, according to Glisan’s weekly weather report, which accompanies the state’s crop report. The National Weather Service reports that the hottest September on record in Iowa was in 1939, with triple-digit high temperatures on Sept. 3, 6, and 7.
According to U.S. Department of Agriculture figures in the report, there were no reports of harvested corn during the Aug. 31 through Sept. 6 reporting period, though corn maturity reached 17%. The percent of corn acres in this stage is behind last year’s crop by 7 percentage points and 2 percentage points behind the five-year average.
Corn in the dough stage reached 96% and corn in the dented stage, at 79%, is slightly ahead of the rates from last year and of the five-year average. Iowa’s corn crop continues to rate well, with 77% of the crop rated good or excellent, according to USDA.
Soybeans also rated well for the period – 75% good to excellent – and the crop was behind last year’s pace, with a reported 6% of soybeans dropping leaves as of the reporting period.
The statewide average precipitation for the week was 0.37 inch, about half an inch below the normal. Northern Iowa received the majority of the showers for the week, which Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said will “help chip away” at soil moisture deficits in the region.
According to the latest maps from the U.S. Drought Monitor, all northwest Iowa is in abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions.
“Farmers are busy chopping silage and preparing for harvest as we wait for corn and soybeans to dry down and fully mature,” Naig said.
