Corn, Bean Development Advances
Published: Friday, July 13, 2018
The following is from the Indiana Field Office of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service for the week ending July 8.
High temperatures and scattered rains continued to push crop progress ahead of schedule. Fields had begun to dry out in much of the state, but scattered showers replenished soil moisture in some areas, particularly in the central and northwestern parts of the state.
The average temperature for the week was 77 degrees, 2.8 degrees above normal.
The amount of rainfall varied from zero inches to 2.23 inches over the week.
The statewide average for precipitation was .58 inches.
There were 5.6 days available for fieldwork.
Another week of hot weather kept the number of growing degree days above normal for the majority of the state. As a result, corn and soybean progress remained ahead of both the previous year and the five-year average.
With the below average rainfall, farmers were able to make significant headway on winter wheat harvest and hay cutting.
Areas that missed out on the scattered rains last week reported concerns of potential drought stress. Livestock were also reported to be negatively affected by the intense heat.
Other activities for the week included spraying soybeans, treating corn fields with fungicide, mowing roadsides, hauling grain, and certifying acres with FSA.
Topsoil moisture was rated very short, 2 percent; short, 16 percent; adequate, 75 percent; surplus, 7 percent.
Subsoil moisture was rated very short, 2 percent; short, 13 percent; adequate, 79 percent; surplus, 6 percent.
The crop progress schedule (last week, previous week, 2017 and 5-year average) showed: corn silking, 49, 18, 17, 16; soybeans blooming, 54, 33, 29, 26; soybeans setting pods, 19, 2, 1, 3; winter wheat mature, 97, 90, 97, NA; winter wheat harvested, 80, 50, 75, 59; alfalfa hay, second cutting, 59, 40, 52, 42; other hay, second cutting, 43, 26, 41, NA.
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