DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Another dry week has caused the condition of Iowa’s corn and
soybean crops to slip backward.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in Monday’s report that 48 percent of the corn crop
is good or excellent, down 1 percentage point from the week before. Eighteen percent is poor or very poor, one point above the previous week. About a third of the crop is fair, the same as the previous week.
Soybeans retreated with 18 percent now rated poor or very poor. That’s up three percentage
points from the week before. Corn pollination remains significantly behind normal.
Northwest Iowa may have the best looking crops in the state, however, as Joel DeJong, Iowa
State University extension crops specialist says there have been a lot of “hit and miss” in
terms of precipitation.
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{audio} images/stories/mp3/August 2013/DeJong1.mp3{/audio}
DeJong says the corn is entering the “dough” stage which means it is still at least a month
away from full maturity.
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{audio} images/stories/mp3/August 2013/DeJong2.mp3{/audio}
The crops specialist says soybean development has been making some nice progress.
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{audio} images/stories/mp3/August 2013/DeJong3.mp3{/audio}
Statewide average precipitation was less than half an inch while normal for the week is
nearly an inch. It was the sixth week of the past seven to bring less than normal rainfall.
