 |
| Resource Homepages |
ISU Extension
|
| IA Crop and Pest Mngt. Newsletters |
| Field and Feedlot |
| J. Dejong |
| V. Schmitt |
| J. Holmes |
| J. Fawcett |
| B. Lang |
| ICM (IA) |
| Other States |
| MN Crop News |
| C.O.R.N. (Ohio) |
| Crop Watch (NE) |
| the Bulletin (IL) |
| Current topics (KS) |
| CAT Alert (MSU) |
| Chat-n-Chew |
| Purdue |
| MN Pest Report |
| SW MN Pest |
| WI Crop Mngr |
| ICPM (MO) |
| Other States |
| Organic Ag |
| Weather Data |
| Iowa Mesonet |
| IDALS |
| MN Ag Climate |
| High Plains RCC |
| NCDC |
| Ag Weather |
| Biotechnology |
| AgBioWorld (for) |
| ETCgroup (against) |
| Agriculture Search Engines |
| AgNIC |
| AgFind |
| Agriculture Databases |
| Agrisurf |
| AgView |
| AgWeb |
 |
 |
|
Northwest Iowa Crops Page |
|
|
|
|
|
Fall 2005 Subsoil Moisture Survey Results
The ISU Extension Fall 2005 subsoil moisture survey has been completed for Carroll, Calhoun, Crawford, Monona, Ida, Sac and Pocahontas counties. Results form this fall’s sampling indicate a great need for fall and spring rains to replenish dry soils. The current 60-inch soil moisture status contains 50% less moisture than is typically observed at this time of year (compared to the previous five years). Results from the soil moisture survey taken in late October indicate that west-central IA had on average 2.8 inches plant available water (PAW) in the 60-inch soil profile or 25% of capacity. This compares to last year's 5.0 inches and 43% of capacity. Sac county appears to be in the best shape with an average of 5.6 inches PAW followed by Pocahontas and Ida counties with 4.6 and 3.5 inches PAW respectively. Carroll and Calhoun counties were definitely on the dry side with only 3.2 and 2.0 inches PAW respectively. The driest soils I've ever encountered while performing this survey were found this fall in Crawford and Monona counties with only 0.7 and 0.0 inches PAW in the top sixty inch profile. Far west-central Iowa will definitely need fall and spring rains to help replenish soil moisture and allow the potential to raise a crop next year. Other falls with similar PAW readings include 2003 with 2.5 inches PAW and 2000 with 2.8 inches PAW. The maximum amount of plant available water (PAW) in the top five feet of soil is around eleven inches for most northwest Iowa soils. The subsoil moisture samples are taken to a depth of five feet in one-foot increments. Five feet is the normal depth that corn, soybeans and alfalfa can extract moisture. On average, a corn and soybean crop requires 26 inches of water to produce a normal yield. Timeliness and intensity of the rain events greatly effects water infiltration into the soil and the plant's ability to utilize the moisture. Keep in mind that rainfall has been variable across the region and the samples capture only a snapshot of time and location of actual subsoil moisture status.
Soil Profile Graphs
|
|
2005 Fall Subsoil Moisture Survey Results
| Previous | Sample | Plant Available Water 60-inch soil profile | ||||
| County | Township | Town | Crop | Date | Inches | % of Capacity |
| Carroll | Washington | Carroll | Soybean | 10/24/05 | 3.2 | 26.0% |
| Crawford | Paradise | Dow City | Corn | 10/27/05 | 0.3 | 2.7% |
| Soybean | 10/27/05 | 1.0 | 8.6% | |||
| County Average | 0.7 | 5.7% | ||||
| Ida | Grant | Kiron | Corn | 10/27/05 | 2.2 | 18.9% |
| Maple | Battle Creek | Corn | 1.9 | 15.3% | ||
| Griggs | Holstein | Corn | 6.3 | 50.7% | ||
| County Average | 3.5 | 28.3% | ||||
| Monona | Center | Castana | Soybean | 10/27/05 | 0.0 | 0.0% |
| Corn | 0.0 | 0.0% | ||||
| Soybean | 0.0 | 0.2% | ||||
| County Average | 0.0 | 0.1% | ||||
| Sac | Richland | Odebolt north | Corn | 10/27/05 | 5.8 | 46.8% |
| Eurek | Schaller | Soybean | 10/27/05 | 6.5 | 52.6% | |
| Jackson | Sac City | Corn | 10/24/05 | 6.8 | 62.3% | |
| Sac | Auburn | Soybean | ||||
| Wheeler | Odebolt South | Corn | 10/27/05 | 3.1 | 25.1% | |
| County Average | 5.6 | 25.1% | ||||
| Pocahontas | Roosevelt | Gillmore City | C | 10/24/05 | 4.6 | 41.3% |
| Calhoun | Elm Grove | Yetter | Corn | 10/24/05 | 2.0 | 17.8% |
| Area Average | 2.8 | 24.6% | ||||
Historical Fall Sample Results
| PAW - Inches (Fall) | % of Fall Average | |||||||||
| County | Township | Town | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 2005 |
| Carroll | Washington | Carroll | 3.2 | 7.1 | 3.9 | 11.5 | 8.0 | 5.8 | 49% | |
| Crawford | Paradise | Dow City | 0.3 | 3.4 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 12% |
| Crawford | Paradise | Dow City | 1.0 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 7.3 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 30% |
| County Average | 0.7 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 5.2 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 21% | ||
| Ida | Grant | S-C Ida County | 2.2 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 7.6 | 3.4 | 1.8 | 4.0 | 67% |
| Ida | Maple | Battle Creek | 1.9 | 3.6 | 2.2 | 8.5 | 5.5 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 52% |
| Ida | Griggs | Holstein | 6.3 | 10.3 | 3.4 | 11.3 | 7.3 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 104% |
| County Average | 3.5 | 5.6 | 2.3 | 9.1 | 5.4 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 75% | ||
| Monona | Center | Castana | 0.0 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 0% | |
| Monona | Center | Castana | 0.0 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 5.2 | 4.0 | 2.2 | 0% | |
| Monona | Center | Castana | 0.0 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 3.5 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0% | |
| County Average | 0.0 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 4.4 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0% | |||
| Sac | Richland | Odebolt north | 5.8 | 6.5 | 2.6 | 11.8 | 7.8 | 4.4 | 5.4 | 91% |
| Sac | Eurek | Schaller | 6.5 | 6.0 | 2.8 | 11.3 | 9.8 | 3.8 | 2.3 | 108% |
| Sac | Jackson | Sac City | 6.8 | 7.8 | 4.0 | 12.8 | 8.5 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 97% |
| Sac | Sac | Auburn | 7.6 | 6.4 | 8.8 | 7.7 | 2.8 | 4.4 | 0% | |
| Sac | Wheeler | Odebolt South | 3.1 | 6.3 | 2.8 | 9.6 | 6.2 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 61% |
| County Average | 5.6 | 6.9 | 3.7 | 10.9 | 8.0 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 71% | ||
| Pocahontas | Roosevelt | Gillmore City | 4.6 | 7.4 | 3.2 | 8.5 | 6.2 | 77% | ||
| Calhoun | Elm Grove | Yetter | 2.0 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 8.0 | 0.0 | 68% | ||
| Area Average | 2.8 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 8.1 | 5.1 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 49% | ||
Soil Profile Graphs
Todd Vagts
Iowa State University Extension
Field Crops Specialist
1240 D. Heires Avenue
Carroll, IA 51401
Office: 712-792-2364; Cell: 712-249-6025; Fax: 712-792-2366
Email: vagts@iastate.edu
This page last updated on 11/21/05
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY