Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report — Week of May 12, 2025
From the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship provides a weather summary each week during this time.
“Much of Iowa enjoyed a stretch of nearly ideal weather this week. The warmer temperatures paired with drier conditions allowed farmers to keep the planters rolling and we saw a big leap in planting progress over the past seven days,” Secretary Naig said. “Looking ahead to next week, there are increased chances of rain and cooler temperatures in the forecast. Farmers will keep an eye on the sky and continue with planting and other field work as conditions allow.”
The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at nass.usda.gov.
Crop report
A warm and dry week made for excellent planting conditions, allowing 6.4 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending May 11, 2025, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Producers made quick progress planting corn and soybeans. Conditions were also favorable for spraying.
Topsoil moisture condition rated 5 percent very short, 22 percent short, 70 percent adequate and 3 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 5 percent very short, 24 percent short, 67 percent adequate and 4 percent surplus.
Corn planted reached 76 percent 8 days ahead of last year and 3 days ahead of the 5-year average. Corn emerged reached 30 percent, 4 days ahead of last year’s pace and 2 days ahead of normal. Sixty-four percent of the expected soybean crop has been planted, 10 days ahead of last year and 5 days ahead of the 5-year average. Soybeans emerged reached 16 percent. Nearly all of the oat crop has been planted, with 74 percent emerged, 3 days behind last year but 2 days ahead of normal. Reports of oats starting to head were received. Oat condition rated 85 percent good to excellent, up 6 percentage points from last week.
Six percent of the State’s first cutting of alfalfa hay has been completed. The first hay rating of the year showed 84 percent in good to excellent condition. Pasture condition rated 64 percent good to excellent, up 4 percentage points from last week. Livestock were reported to be in good condition with some cows and calves turned out on grass.
Weather summary
Provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
A stable blocking high pressure system brought unseasonable warmth across Iowa through the reporting period. Temperatures were 10 to 12 degrees above normal in northwestern Iowa with a statewide average temperature of 54.8 degrees, 0.5 degree above normal. Rainfall was generally sparse across the state, though southern and eastern Iowa stations did report measurable amounts.
Sunday (4th) afternoon was pleasant with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s under sunny skies and light, variable winds. Skies remained generally clear into Monday (5th) with morning temperatures in the 40s and spotty clouds southeast. Easterly winds increased through the daylight hours with temperatures rising into the upper 70s in western Iowa with upper 60s farther east. A southerly shifting wind held overnight lows into Tuesday (6th) in the upper 40s and low 50s as starry skies persisted. Afternoon conditions were nice as temperatures climbed into the mid to upper 70s with low relative humidity. Wednesday (7th) morning dawned with cloudless skies, northerly winds and lows in the 50s. Daytime temperatures warmed into the 60s over southern Iowa as a warm front lifted north across Iowa. Winds north of the boundary remained northeasterly as southerly winds held over southern Iowa. With enough forcing and moisture near the surface front, westerly propagating thundershowers formed along a west-to-east line during the evening hours. Of the stations reporting rainfall, most locations observed under a tenth of an inch. The highest totals were found in east-central Iowa, particularly in Linn County; amounts ranged from 0.29 inch in Cedar Rapids to 1.01 inches in Marion. Cloud cover cleared through the nighttime hours with winds shifting easterly.
Thursday (8th) morning started with low temperatures in the 50s with cloudless skies. Afternoon conditions were again ideal with low dewpoint temperatures and highs in the 70s. Morning conditions on Friday (9th) were five to 10 degrees cooler than the prior day with high-level haze and light winds. There was a broad range of temperatures during the afternoon with mid 80s northwest to lows 70s southeast with variable winds statewide. Winds shifted gradually from southerly to northerly into Saturday (10th) as temperatures rose into the 80s and low 90s at a handful of stations. Even with warmer temperatures, anomalously low dewpoints created enjoyable conditions with ample sunshine; the statewide average high was 85 degrees, 16 degrees above normal. Sunday (11th) began warmer than usual, also, with lows in the low 50s southeast to low 60s northwest.
Weekly precipitation totals ranged from no accumulation at many stations to 1.09 inches in Marion. The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.05 inch; the normal is 1.00 inch. Ames (Story County) reported the week’s high temperature of 92 degrees on the 10th, 23 degrees above normal. Chariton (Lucas County) reported the week’s low temperature of 32 degrees on the 5th, 10 degrees below normal. Four-inch soil temperatures were in upper 50s to low 70s east to west as of Sunday.
