Last Week's Rain Delays Field Work, But Heat Helps with Crop Development
Tuesday, September 24th, 2019 -- 9:46 AM
(Wisconsin Ag Connection) -Frequent precipitation led to more setbacks for farmers hoping to harvest crops and get other fieldwork done during the past week.According to the Wisconsin Ag Statistics Service, most of the state endured intermittent rains, which kept soils wet and field progress slow. But the weekly crop report did note that warm temperatures helped corn and soybeans develop ahead of the first frost. Topsoil moisture conditions were rated two percent short, 65 percent adequate and 33 percent surplus. As of Sunday, 84 percent of corn has reached the dough stage, which was over three weeks behind last year. Nearly two-thirds of the crop was dented and 80 percent was reported mature. Farmers have about 15 percent of their corn chopped for silage, but that's also behind schedule because of the wet weather. Ninety-two percent of soybeans were setting pods and leaves were coloring on 59 percent of the crop. Twenty-four percent of the beans were dropping leaves as of last week. Crop scouts put the statewide soybean crop condition at 68 percent good to excellent.
Winter wheat planting was 20 percent complete. That was eight days behind last year and two days slower than the five-year average. Some farmers were still combining oats, which is estimated at just 88 percent harvested. The third cutting of alfalfa hay was 94 percent complete, with fourth crop just about half done. And fall tillage was reported as five percent complete.
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