Crop Progress and Pasture Conditions

South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS — For the week ending September 21, 2014, above normal temperatures and very little rainfall occurred across most areas of the State, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Statewide, there were 6.3 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 1 percent very short, 12 short, 85 adequate, and 2 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 1 percent very short, 13 short, 83 adequate, and 3 surplus.

Field Crops Report: Winter wheat planted was 38 percent, near 39 last year and the five-year average of 41. Emerged was 1 percent, near 5 last year, but behind 8 average.

Spring wheat harvested was 97 percent, near 100 last year and average.

Corn conditions rated 2 percent very poor, 5 poor, 19 fair, 59 good, and 15 excellent. Dented was 93 percent, near 89 last year and 90 average. Corn mature was 22 percent, behind 37 last year and well behind 44 average.

Soybean conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 4 poor, 20 fair, 61 good, and 14 excellent. Soybeans dropping leaves was 56 percent, behind 68 last year and 77 average.

Sorghum conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 2 poor, 13 fair, 78 good, and 7 excellent. Sorghum coloring was 88 percent, near 92 last year, but behind 94 average. Mature was 15 percent, behind 30 last year and39 average. Harvest was 1 percent, near 3 last year, but behind 10 average.

Sunflower conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 2 poor, 35 fair, 57 good, and 5 excellent. Ray flowers dried was 75 percent, behind 90 last year and 94 average. Bracts turning yellow was 51 percent, behind 59 last year and well behind 74 average. Turning brown was 13 percent complete.

Alfalfa hay conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 3 poor, 21 fair, 56 good, and 19 excellent. Third cutting was 70 percent complete, well behind 90 last year and 84 average. Fourth cutting was 10 percent complete.

Livestock, Pasture and Range Report: Pasture and range conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 5 poor, 24 fair, 58 good, and 12 excellent.

Stock water supplies rated 1 percent very short, 12 percent short, 84 percent adequate, and 3 percent surplus.

North Dakota

FARGO, N.D. — For the week ending September 21, 2014, much needed warmer and drier conditions were experienced across most of the State, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. However, the nights did cool off significantly with portions of the State receiving frost. Some areas in the central and northeastern parts of the State received hail that damaged standing crops. Statewide, there were 6.1 days suitable for fieldwork. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 0 percent very short, 4 short, 84 adequate, and 12 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 0 percent very short, 4 short, 85 adequate, and 11 surplus.

Field Crops Report: Winter wheat harvested reached 95 percent. Planting of the 2015 crop was 51 percent complete, compared to last year at 47 percent.

Durum wheat mature was 97 percent. Harvested was 55 percent, well behind 73 last year and 80 for the five-year average. Conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 6 poor, 21 fair, 66 good, and 6 excellent.

Spring wheat harvested was 82 percent, behind both last year and average at 91 percent. Barley harvest was 91 percent complete, near 94 last year, but behind 98 average.

Oats harvested was 88 percent, behind 100 last year and 98 average.

Canola harvest was 84 percent complete, near 81 last year and 85 average.

Flaxseed harvested was 50 percent, near 51 last year, but behind 63 average. Conditions rated 0 percent very poor, 4 poor, 20 fair, 68 good, and 8 excellent.

Lentils harvest was 53 percent complete, well behind last year at 89 and 94 average.

Dry edible peas harvested was 95 percent, near both last year and average at 100 percent.

Dry beans dropping leaves was 95 percent, ahead of 91 last year and 85 average. Harvested was 29 percent, behind 38 last year and 41 average. Conditions rated 3 percent very poor, 6 poor, 28 fair, 55 good, and 8 excellent.

Potatoes at the vines dry stage was 81 percent, ahead of 55 last year and 77 average. Harvest was 22 percent complete, ahead of 10 last year, but behind 29 average. Conditions rated 2 percent very poor, 5 poor, 26 fair, 56 good, and 11 excellent.

Corn dented was 80 percent, behind last year at 87 and 85 average. Mature was 9 percent, behind 22 last year and well behind 39 average. Conditions rated 2 percent very poor, 6 poor, 18 fair, 55 good, and 19 excellent.

Soybeans dropping leaves was 67 percent, behind 79 last year, but near 69 average. Conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 4 poor, 20 fair, 59 good, and 16 excellent.

Sunflowers at the ray flowers dry stage was 84 percent, near last year at 87, but behind 93 average. Bracts yellow were 35 percent, behind 50 last year and well behind 71 average. Conditions rated 2 percent very poor, 3 poor, 19 fair, 63 good, and 13 excellent.

Sugarbeets harvested was 6 percent, near 9 last year and 10 average. Conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 7 poor, 28 fair, 50 good, and 14 excellent.

Second cutting of alfalfa was 93 percent complete, behind last year and average at 100. Alfalfa conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 3 poor, 13 fair, 63 good, and 20 excellent.

Livestock, Pasture and Range Report: Pasture and range conditions rated 0 percent very poor, 3 poor, 15 fair, 61 good, and 21 excellent.

Stock water supplies rated 0 percent very short, 2 short, 85 adequate, and 13 surplus.

Minnesota

With 5.4 days suitable for field work, small grains harvest advanced to near completion, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service for the week ending September 21, 2014. Varying degrees of frost damage were reported by respondents throughout much of Minnesota, but crop conditions remained largely unchanged. Field activities for the week included hauling manure to fields where wheat and oats were combined.

Topsoil moisture supplies were rated 0 percent very short, 8 percent short, 86 percent adequate, and 6 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies were rated 0 percent very short, 10 percent short, 86 percent adequate, and 4 percent surplus.

Ninety-one percent of the corn crop was at or beyond the dent stage. With 19 percent of the corn crop mature, crop conditions remained unchanged and stand at 71 percent good to excellent. Eighty-one percent of the soybean crop was turning color or beyond, 4 days behind average. Thirty-eight percent of the crop was dropping leaves, with 65 percent in good to excellent condition. Spring wheat harvest, at 91 percent complete, remains 10 days behind average. This is the slowest harvest pace since 2009. Forty-three percent of the potato crop has been harvested, 4 days behind the average. Potato conditions remained unchanged with 84 percent good to excellent. Ninety-six percent of the dry edible bean crop is fully podded, with 86 percent of the crop at or beyond the coloring stage. Dry edible bean harvest, at 18 percent, is 11 days behind average. Dry edible bean conditions remained unchanged at 53 percent in good to excellent condition. Seven percent of the sugarbeets are now harvested, with 72 percent of the crop in good to excellent condition.

The third cutting of alfalfa hay was 89 percent complete, slightly behind last year. Pasture conditions decreased slightly to 70 percent good to excellent.

Iowa

Iowa farmers took advantage of the most days suitable for fieldwork in over a month during the week ending September 21, 2014, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. There were 4.7 days suitable for fieldwork. Activities for the week included chopping silage and harvesting hay.

Soil moisture levels remained steady during the week across Iowa. Topsoil moisture rated 0 percent very short, 4 percent short, 80 percent adequate, and 16 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 1 percent very short, 8 percent short, 79 percent adequate, and 12 percent surplus.

Ninety-two percent of Iowa’s corn crop was in or beyond the dent stage, 4 days ahead of the previous year but 3 days behind the five-year average. Corn mature reached 37 percent, 10 days behind normal. Unchanged from the previous 3 weeks, 76 percent of the corn acreage was reported in good to excellent condition. Leaves were turning color on 79 percent of the soybean crop, 5 days ahead of the previous year but 3 days behind average. Thirty-four percent of the soybean acreage was dropping leaves, 4 days ahead of last year, but 5 days behind normal. Unchanged from last week, 74 percent of the soybean acreage was in good to excellent condition.

The third cutting of alfalfa hay was 80 percent complete, the lowest percent complete by this date in over 20 years. Pasture condition rated 67 percent good to excellent. Livestock conditions were reported as normal.

Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says sunshine and higher-than-normal temperatures across much of the state last week helped crops mature.

However, the USDA said in a report released Monday that only 3 percent of the state’s corn had been harvested, compared with 9 percent on average by the date. The soybean harvest also lagged, with just 1 percent harvested compared with 5 percent on average by the date.

The USDA says 56 percent of the winter wheat had been planted by Sunday, compared with the average of 50 percent over the past five years.