Crop growing conditions for the state of Iowa turned markedly worse in the weekly update of the USDA Drought Monitor. Only Dickinson County and a slice of Osceola County are listed as drought free. D-2 “Severe Drought” conditions have crept back across the Southeast half of Buena Vista County and the western fourth of Pocahontas County.

Further East, a good share of North Central Iowa – including Kossuth County – has been downgraded from D-Zero “Abnormally Dry” to D-1 “Moderate Drought” this week. There are three new areas of the state now listed as D-3 “Extreme Draught” affecting five counties in Southeast Iowa and touching two counties in Southwest Iowa. 3.52 percent of the state is now in Extreme Draught up from only .78 percent last Thursday.