News

Rapid progress in Wisconsin fields

Another week of above-average temperatures allowed the harvest to proceed in Wisconsin last week. Corn silage chopping is right on schedule with 94 percent completed, corn maturity is three points behind average with 86 percent mature and corn-for-grain combining is 21 percent complete as of Sunday, two points behind the five year average. Moistures are mostly in the upper-20’s coming off the combine and most report yields are better than expected. The crop is rated 77 percent good to excellent condition up 2 points from the previous week.

Rain last Thursday slowed the harvest for a day, totals ranged from .42 inches in Milwaukee to over two inches in Taylor County. However, the windy conditions over the weekend dried things out quickly and the harvest resumed. It is still quite dry in the northwest where soil moisture is listed as 54 percent adequate, 33 percent short and 12 percent very short. Statewide things are in pretty good shape with 75 percent rated adequate.

Soybean harvest is 62 percent complete, 12-points ahead of average. With 99 percent of the plants having dropped their leaves, the beans are drying down quickly with moistures reported in the low-teens. Yields are ranging everywhere from 40 to 70 bushels per acre. The crop is rated 79 percent good to excellent condition, a 4-point improvement from a week ago.

The cranberry harvest is wrapping up with average to below-average yields. The potato harvest is also nearing completion.

Read the full NASS report here: