Crop Progress and Pasture Conditions

South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS — For the week ending May 3, 2020, there were 6.0 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 1 percent very short, 12 short, 73 adequate, and 14 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 0 percent very short, 5 short, 74 adequate, and 21 surplus.

Field Crops Report: Corn planted was 38 percent, well ahead of 18 for the five-year average.

Soybeans planted was 11 percent, ahead of 3 average.

Winter wheat condition rated 0 percent very poor, 2 poor, 32 fair, 58 good, and 8 excellent.

Spring wheat planted was 60 percent, well ahead of 16 last year, but near 63 average. Emerged was 17 percent, ahead of 1 last year, but behind 35 average.

Oats planted was 72 percent, well ahead of 13 last year, and ahead of 61 average. Emerged was 25 percent, well ahead of 3 last year, but behind 37 average.

Sorghum planted was 6 percent.

Pasture and Range Report: Pasture and range conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 2 poor, 29 fair, 60 good, and 8 excellent.

North Dakota

FARGO, N.D. — For the week ending May 3, 2020, there were 4.8 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Reports indicated that, on average, producers began fieldwork on May 1st. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 1 percent very short, 8 short, 62 adequate, and 29 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 0 percent very short, 4 short, 67 adequate, and 29 surplus.

Field Crops Report: Soybeans planted was 1 percent, equal to last year, and near 5 for the five-year average.

Spring wheat planted was 15 percent, near 11 last year, but behind 33 average.

Durum wheat planted was 13 percent, ahead of 6 last year, but near 14 average.

Winter wheat condition rated 1 percent very poor, 3 poor, 21 fair, 68 good, and 7 excellent. Winter wheat jointed was 13 percent, ahead of 6 last year, and equal to average.

Corn planted was 4 percent, near 2 last year, but behind 19 average.

Canola planted was 5 percent, near 3 last year, but behind 13 average.

Sugarbeets planted was 23 percent, ahead of 14 last year, but well behind 56 average.

Oats planted was 12 percent, ahead of 5 last year, but behind 29 average.

Barley planted was 10 percent, near 6 last year, but behind 28 average.

Dry edible peas planted was 12 percent, near 9 last year, but behind 28 average.

Flaxseed planted was 2 percent, equal to last year, and behind 7 average.

Potatoes planted was 7 percent, ahead of 2 last year, but behind 12 average.

Due to wet conditions impeding harvest last fall, some crops remained in the field for harvest over the winter and in the spring. Corn harvested was 91 percent, up from 89 last week.

Pasture and Range Report: Pasture and range conditions rated 1 percent very poor, 5 poor, 22 fair, 65 good, and 7 excellent.

Stock water supplies rated 0 percent very short, 3 short, 83 adequate, and 14 surplus.

Minnesota

Excellent weather conditions continued Minnesota’s rapid crop planting progress according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. There were 5.2 days suitable for fieldwork statewide during the week ending May 3, 2020, the most days during this week since 2015’s 6.1 days. Other field activities for the week were fertilizer application, tilling and crop planting.

Topsoil moisture supplies were rated 0 percent very short, 11 percent short, 78 percent adequate, and 11 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies were rated 0 percent very short, 5 percent short, 78 percent adequate, and 17 percent surplus.

Thirty-six percent of the state’s corn acreage was planted during the week leading to a total of 76 percent of the crop in the ground. This is one month ahead of last year and two weeks ahead of the 5-year average. Three percent of the corn acreage has emerged. Thirty-five percent of the soybean acreage has been planted, the most planted by this date since estimates began in 1963, and slightly above 2015’s 32 percent.

Spring Wheat planting was 21 percent complete, 6 days ahead of last year but two weeks behind average. Four percent of the spring wheat has emerged. Sixty-two percent of the oat crop planting progress was complete, 5 days ahead of average. Thirty-five percent of the oat crop has emerged. Barley was 24 percent planted with 10 percent emerged.

Potato planting progress moved ahead of the average pace by 1 day to 44 percent complete. Sugarbeets were 38 percent planted, 1 week ahead of last year but remaining behind the average pace by 9 days. Dry beans were 6 percent planted.

There were reports of slow pasture growth in northwest Minnesota while pastures turned green elsewhere in the state. Pasture conditions were rated 1 percent very poor, 9 percent poor, 23 percent fair, 57 percent good and 10 percent excellent.

Iowa

There were 6.1 days suitable for field work during the week ending May 3, 2020, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Warm, dry weather allowed Iowa farmers to advance planting well ahead of normal.

Topsoil moisture levels rated 3 percent very short, 16 percent short, 78 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels rated 2 percent very short, 8 percent short, 85 percent adequate and 5 percent surplus.

Iowa farmers planted 39 percent of the expected corn crop during the week ending May 3. Although great progress was made, in 2015 Iowa farmers were able to plant 54 percent of their corn crop during the same week. This is the first time since 2010 that at least three-quarters of the corn crop has been in the ground by May 3. Forty-six percent of the soybean crop has been planted, a full month ahead of last year and over two weeks ahead of the five-year average. This is the highest proportion of the soybean crop planted by May 3 since records began in 1974. Farmers were able to plant over one-third of the expected soybean crop during the week ending May 3. Only 6 percent of Iowa’s expected oat crop remains to be planted, with 54 percent of the oat crop emerged.

Pasture condition rated 65 percent good to excellent. Pastures and hay fields are greening up. Cattle movement to pastures increased this week.

Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. — For the week ending May 3, 2020, there were 6.2 days suitable for fieldwork, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Topsoil moisture supplies rated 7 percent very short, 22 short, 69 adequate, and 2 surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 4 percent very short, 13 short, 81 adequate, and 2 surplus.

Field Crops Report: Corn planted was 61 percent, well ahead of 30 last year and 38 for the five-year average. Emerged was 9 percent, ahead of 1 last year, and near 5 average.

Soybeans planted was 32 percent, well ahead of 11 last year and 10 average.

Winter wheat condition rated 2 percent very poor, 8 poor, 23 fair, 60 good, and 7 excellent.

Sorghum planted was 7 percent, ahead of 2 last year, and near 4 average.

Oats planted was 87 percent, ahead of 69 last year, and near 84 average. Emerged was 56 percent, well ahead of 30 last year, but near 58 average.

Pasture and Range Report: Pasture and range conditions rated 2 percent very poor, 3 poor, 24 fair, 66 good, and 5 excellent.