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.
“Farmers in some parts of the state have been dealing with wet field conditions after a rainy end to April. The first few days of May have been more favorable for farmers to get back into the fields,” said Secretary Naig. “With the next week or two looking generally warmer and drier, conditions should allow for farmers to make significant planting progress.”
The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at nass.usda.gov.
Crop Report
While some producers were able to get into their fields, precipitation continued to delay planting in many parts of the State, allowing only 3.2 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending May 4, 2025, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Topsoil moisture condition rated 3 percent very short, 9 percent short, 76 percent adequate and 12 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 4 percent very short, 18 percent short, 71 percent adequate and 7 percent surplus.
Corn planted reached 49 percent, 3 days ahead of last year but 2 days behind the 5-year average. Corn emerged reached 10 percent, 2 days ahead of last year’s pace and 3 days ahead of normal. Thirty-eight percent of the expected soybean crop has been planted, one week ahead of last year and 2 days ahead of the 5-year average. Soybeans emerged reached 5 percent. Oats seeding reached 91 percent complete. Fifty-eight percent of the expected oat acreage has emerged, 4 days behind last year but 3 days ahead of normal. The first oat condition rating of the season was 1 percent very poor, 2 percent poor, 18 percent fair, 66 percent good and 13 percent excellent.
Pasture condition rated 60 percent good to excellent. No livestock issues were reported.
Weather Summary
Provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
Scattered severe thunderstorms early in the reporting period gave way to a less active storm track with widespread, though below-average rainfall; portions of northern and eastern Iowa saw the wettest conditions. Temperatures also moderated from the previous week with a statewide average temperature of 54.8 degrees, 0.5 degrees above normal.
Cloudy skies remained through Sunday (27th) afternoon with southeasterly winds and high temperatures in the mid to upper 60s. Winds increased overnight into Monday (28th) with ample moisture transport into the Midwest ahead of a potent low pressure system. Morning temperatures were unseasonably warm with a statewide average low of 50 degrees, eight degrees above normal. With afternoon conditions in the upper 70s and low 80s and abundant atmospheric instability, isolated severe thunderstorms fired along the low’s attendant dry line; this surface feature is a boundary between very moist air to the east and drier air farther west. Additional storms developed later in the evening along the cold front trailing the dry line with some stronger cells moving through southwest Iowa. Luckily, a warm, stable layer in the lower levels of the atmosphere prevented a more widespread severe weather outbreak. Large hail was observed from Sioux City (Woodbury County) to Osage (Mitchell County) with the largest report being egg-sized hail in Lyon County. The strongest wind gusts were 62 to 64 mph from Ames (Story County) and in Sibley (Osceola County). Rain totals at 7:00 am on Tuesday (29th) were highest along the Iowa-Minnesota border with many stations registering at least 0.50 inch; two Worth County locations, Grafton and Northwood, observed 0.52 inch and 0.91 inch, respectively.
Tuesday (29th) was sunny with daytime highs in the upper 50s north to mid 60s south under northwesterly winds. Starry skies persisted into Wednesday (30th) as winds swung around to an easterly direction. Overcast conditions developed through the late morning as scattered showers moved into southern Iowa. A complex of moderate showers developed across eastern Iowa after sunset with isolated pockets of light rain farther west after midnight on Thursday (1st). Morning lows held in the mid 50s with patchy fog and variable, light winds. Twenty eastern Iowa stations reported more than an inch of rainfall, varying from 1.00 inch at Fairfield (Jefferson County) to 1.81 inches in DeWitt (Clinton County). Totals decreased to a few tenths of an inch towards central Iowa with a pocket of higher amounts in west-central Iowa. Daytime temperatures were only a few degrees warmer through the day as cloud cover remained. Brief clearing over western Iowa allowed early morning lows on Friday (2nd) to dip into the 40s with northwest to westerly winds until another disturbance pushed into southwest Iowa. Showers continued across southern Iowa into the afternoon with isolated cells filling in behind the system. High temperatures remained in the 50s with lingering cloud cover and light winds. Rain totals were generally under 0.20- to 0.50-inch-range, though Atlantic (Cass County) collected 0.55 inch and Earlham (Madison County) observed 0.75 inch. Saturday (3rd) dawned clear across western Iowa with stubborn cloud over eastern Iowa for most of the day. Temperatures varied from the mid 60s northwest to mid 50s southeast as clouds gradually broke over eastern Iowa. Morning lows on Sunday (4th) dropped into the upper 30s and low 40s under clear skies.
Weekly precipitation totals ranged from 0.05 inch in Iowa Falls (Hardin County) to 1.88 inches in Keokuk (Lee County). The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.59 inch while the normal is 0.97 inch. Several northwestern stations reported the week’s high temperature of 89 degrees on the 28th, on average 24 degrees above normal. Mason City (Cerro Gordo County) reported the week’s low temperature of 28 degrees on the 1st, 13 degrees below normal. Four-inch soil temperatures were in the low 50s east to low 60s west as of Sunday.
Source : iowaagriculture.gov