Weekly Crop Conditions Decline
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa has received some much-needed rain but the state is still dry.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in Monday’s weekly report that Iowa received an average of 1.5 inches of rain last week. That’s above the normal of about 1.2 inches. Even so, more than half the topsoil and subsoil remains dry.
The USDA says 67 percent of the corn crop, which is beginning to silk, is in good or excellent condition. That’s the same as last week.
Soybeans, which are starting to bloom, are rated 61 percent good to excellent. That’s down from 62 percent a week ago.
More than half the state’s pastures and range land are in poor or fair condition. However, stress on livestock is minimal with no issues reported.
June 30th Deadline For Reporting Acres
(Des Moines) — Iowa Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director, John Whitaker reminds farmers and ranchers that filing an accurate acreage report for all crops and land uses, including failed acreage and prevented planting acreage, can prevent the loss of benefits for a variety of programs.
Acreage reports are required for many Farm Service Agency programs. For crops enrolled in programs other than NAP (Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program) acreage reports are to be certified by the June 30, 2012 deadline on all crops. Acreage reports on crops covered by NAP are due in the county office by the earlier of June 30, 2012, or 15 calendar days before the onset of harvest or grazing of the specific crop acreage being reported.
Crop reports also include planting dates for each crop by field. Failed acreage must be reported before disposition of the crop. Prevented planting must be reported no later than 15 days after the final planting date.
Reporting forage crops and pastures is also required. All crops on the farm, including forage crops and pasture are used to determine overall eligibility for some programs such as SURE and LFP, so accurately reporting these crops is important. Since the make up of a forage crop’s stand changes over time, the legumes and/or grass mixture may be needed or the age of the stand in order to file an accurate report. The Iowa FSA office issued guidance regarding the percent of alfalfa or other legume/grass that is present in the stand for producers to accurately report their crops. Another change: for 2013, perennial forage, fall wheat, and other fall seeded small grains will have a December 15th reporting date.
