Weekly Crop Progress and Condition Report
April 27 - May 3, 2026
DES MOINES, Iowa (May 4, 2026) - 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.
“April will go down as one of the wettest on record, and that moisture has helped ease drought conditions for the majority of the state,” said Secretary Naig. “Looking ahead, the forecast trends a bit cooler and drier through the first few weeks of May, which should give farmers a longer window to keep the planters running.”
Crop Report
There were 4.2 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending May 3, 2026, which is 1.0 day more than last year. Topsoil moisture condition rated 1 percent very short, 9 percent short, 81 percent adequate and 9 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 2 percent very short, 13 percent short, 78 percent adequate and 7 percent surplus. Corn planting in Iowa reached 42 percent complete, which is 5 percent behind last year when 47 percent of the crop had been planted. Soybean planting reached 27 percent, which is 9 percent behind 2025 when 36 percent of the crop had been planted. Oats planting reached 88 percent, 2 percent behind last year when 90 percent had been planted.
The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at https://www.nass.usda.gov/.
Weather Summary
Provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., State Climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
After four consecutive unseasonably warm reporting periods, temperatures across Iowa were cooler than average; the statewide average temperature was 50.7 degrees, 3.2 degrees above normal. A much less active weather pattern held across the Midwest with no significant severe weather reported in Iowa. Rainfall totals were slightly above average northwest and south.
A low pressure system pushed across the state through Sunday (26th) afternoon bringing showers and thunderstorms to southern and northwestern Iowa. Additional development of more broadscale rainfall occurred after midnight and continued through the late morning hours of Monday (27th); isolated thundershowers formed along the lagging cold front into the afternoon with hail observed in Lourdes (Howard County). Event rain totals were highest in Dickinson County where amounts at five stations varied from 1.93 inches in Milford to 3.74 inches at Lake Park. Over 70 stations collected at least an inch with most Iowa stations reporting measurable amounts; the statewide average rainfall was 0.68 inch. Daytime conditions remained overcast with a westerly wind and temperatures from the upper 40s northwest to low 70s southeast. Clouds cleared much of western Iowa by sunrise on Tuesday (28th) with morning lows in the 40s and light northwesterly winds. Scattered showers moved into southwestern Iowa later in the day with afternoon temperatures holding in the 50s. Additional rain was reported over northern Iowa with several stations measuring more than 0.10 inch of rain with 0.25 inch in Dundee (Delaware County) and 0.46 inch in Rock Rapids (Lyon County). Wednesday (29th) was a generally quiet day, with partly to mostly cloudy morning skies yielding to partly sunny conditions in the afternoon and temperatures again in the 50s.
Morning showers cleared out of central and western Iowa by Thursday (30th) afternoon with northwesterly winds, partly sunny skies and temperatures in the 50s. Friday (1st) saw variable winds as a weak low pressure disturbance pushed through the state. Scattered showers formed in eastern Iowa later in the afternoon, though rainfall totals were minor. Cloudy skies persisted into the nighttime hours, clearing into early morning. Stations across northern Iowa reported readings in the upper 20s at 7:00 am on Saturday (2nd) with 30s over southern Iowa. Daytime temperatures rebounded into the 60s with winds becoming westerly under sunny skies. A shifting southerly wind held Sunday (3rd) morning lows through much of Iowa in the upper 40s and low 50s with some cloud cover observed in eastern Iowa.
Weekly precipitation totals ranged from 0.04 inch in Holstein (Ida County) to 3.79 inches in Lake Park. The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.71 inch; the normal is 1.04 inches. Davenport (Scott County) and Mount Ayr (Ringgold County) reported the week’s high temperature of 79 degrees on the 27th, on average 14 degrees above normal. Spencer Municipal Airport (Clay County) reported the week’s low temperature of 25 degrees on the 2nd, 17 degrees below normal. Four-inch soil temperatures were in the mid to upper 50s statewide as of Sunday.
