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Farm fields suffer from heat and dryness [1]

['Jared Strong', 'More From Author', '- June']

Date: 2023-06

Iowa crop conditions and pastures deteriorated last week amid hot and dry conditions, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report on Monday.

Last week averaged about 8 degrees warmer than normal, State Climatologist Justin Glisan reported, and despite heavy rain in certain areas, the state got about two-thirds of its typically expected rainfall.

“In between spotty thunderstorms last week, farmers took advantage of the opportunity to begin applying crop protection products, adding side-dress fertilizer, and cutting and baling hay,” said Mike Naig, the state’s agriculture secretary. “Widespread rain totals were below average and much of the state remains abnormally dry, but forecasts do indicate chances for precipitation and a return to more seasonal temperatures.”

Virtually all of the state’s corn and soybeans have been planted, and a vast majority of those crops has emerged from the ground, the USDA said.

About 72% of the corn crop is rated in good or excellent condition, a decline of 5 percentage points from a week ago. About 70% of soybeans are rated good or excellent.

Less than half of the state’s topsoil and subsoil has adequate or surplus moisture for growing crops, the USDA said. Dryness and drought conditions have been expanding across the state. A U.S. Drought Monitor report last week said about 39% of Iowa is in some degree of drought, with the worst in far western Iowa.

Pastures for grazing livestock have suffered, and about 42% of that land is rated good or excellent.

“Some livestock producers have already had to feed hay due to drying pastures,” the USDA reported.

Rainfall totals for last week ranged from none in far eastern Iowa to nearly 4 inches of rainfall in Madison County in central Iowa.

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