Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report - 27 Aug 2024

Aug 27, 2024

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.

“With the Farm Progress Show kicking off in central Iowa, much of the state will receive a blast of heat followed by cooler weather as we head into September,” said Secretary Naig. “This stretch of unseasonably dry conditions is providing a nice window for farmers to bale hay, chop silage and begin to seed cover crops.”

The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at nass.usda.gov.

Crop Report
The State experienced mostly dry weather this week. These conditions allowed Iowa farmers 6.4 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending August 25, 2024, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Primary field activities continued to be cutting and baling hay and preparing for the fall harvest.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 3 percent very short, 23 percent short, 72 percent adequate and 2 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 3 percent very short, 20 percent short, 75 percent adequate and 2 percent surplus.

Corn in the dough stage or beyond reached 90 percent this week, 6 days behind last year but 1 day ahead of the five-year average. Forty-five percent of the corn crop reached the dent stage or beyond, 3 days behind last year. Corn mature reached 4 percent. Corn condition rated 77 percent good to excellent. Soybeans setting pods reached 90 percent, 9 days behind last year and 3 days behind the five-year average. Soybeans coloring reached 5 percent, 4 days behind last year and 2 days behind the average. Soybean condition was 77 percent good to excellent.

The State’s third cutting of alfalfa hay reached 79 percent, 6 days behind last year but 6 days ahead of the five-year average. Hay condition rated 77 percent good to excellent. Pasture condition rated 65 percent good to excellent. As temperatures rose at the end of the week, stress became a concern for livestock.

Click here to see more...

Video: Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard

On Friday, April 24, 2026, from 12 noon–1:00 ET, the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law, alongside the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s (PDA) Agricultural Business Development Center (ABDC), presented this webinar in the Understanding Agricultural Law Educational Series, a course designed to develop subject matter literacy and competence on fundamental issues of agricultural law for attorneys and business advisors who work with or represent agricultural or rural clients but may not necessarily specialize in agricultural law:

“Understanding the Basics of the Renewable Fuel Standard”

The Clean Air Act’s Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program requires transportation fuel sold in the United States to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel, or advanced biofuels. Established by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and later expanded by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, the RFS is implemented by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with the Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

This webinar provides an overview of the legal authority and structure for the RFS program and explain how it works, including the program’s system of Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) and categories of renewable fuels. Additionally, this webinar addresses EPA annual volume requirement rulemaking and associated recent legal issues.