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Schoper: Summer, fall weather similar to 2009

NORTH MANKATO – With drier weather conditions forecast for the next few days, South Central College Farm Business Management Instructor Wayne Schoper expects to see lots of heavy farm machinery in motion.

“With things settling down after such a wet year, guys are trying to get back into the field. If it would just quit raining now, it would be great,” Schoper said. “It’s a lot like 2009, when we had a cool July, crop development slowed and it rained in September through October. Some corn stood throughout the winter. Lots of tillage didn’t get done.”

On top of that, profit margins are non-existent this year, he added. “Corn prices are below production costs. Farmers need to get everything out of the field.”

Schoper said except for fields hit by hail or flooding earlier in the year, corn and bean yields appear to be “pretty decent with 180 to 190 bushels an acre for most corn and 50 or more bushels an acre for beans.”

Nicollet and Sibley County University of Minnesota Agriculture Extension Agent Jason Ertl said about 40 percent topsoil moisture was at a surplus as of Tuesday.

“Guys are still trying to get corn silage harvested, but it’s getting a bit late for that,” Ertl said. “Guys are starting to get tractors out to do beans. If it stays dry into next week, that will help out a lot.”

Ertl said the general rate of infield corn drying of .5 to .75 percentage points per day, depending on cloud cover and wind.

Above average rainfall slowed the harvest in many parts of Minnesota last week, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Consistently wet conditions continue to raise concerns about mold in corn and soybeans, stalk problems in corn, and rot related to wet soil.

Saturated soils made fieldwork challenging, as harvest continues for corn silage, sugar beets, potatoes, alfalfa hay, and dry, edible beans. Other limited field activities include hauling manure, tillage, and crop cover work.

Topsoil moisture supplies were rated zero percent very short, 2 percent short, 56 percent adequate, and 42 percent surplus, NASS reported Monday.

Seventy percent of Minnesota’s corn acreage was mature, 6 days ahead of the five-year average and 3 days ahead of last year. Corn condition rated 84 percent good to excellent. Eighty-one percent of the corn for silage was harvested, equal to last year.

Eighty-three percent of the soybean crop was dropping leaves or beyond, 3 days ahead of average. Soybean harvest was 13 percent complete, 3 days behind average and 5 days behind last year. Soybean condition rated 79 percent good to excellent.

The dry, edible bean crop was 84 percent harvested, 10 days ahead of average, but 2 days behind last year

Ten percent of the sunflower acreage was harvested, 4 days ahead of average. Sunflower condition rated 58 percent good to excellent.

Fifty-two percent of the potato acreage was harvested, 4 days ahead of average.

Fourteen percent of the sugar beet crop was harvested. Sugar beet condition rated 81 percent good to excellent.

The third cutting of alfalfa hay was 94 percent complete. Pasture condition rated 73 percent good to excellent, down 2 percentage points from last week. There were reports that pastures were still growing, but getting trampled into the mud in wet areas.

Fritz Busch can be e-mailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.

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