News

A near-perfect year for Wisconsin crops

The 2015 summary from the National Ag Statistics Service Wisconsin Field Office says after a cold start to the growing season, it became very warm with plenty of moisture followed by a good stretch of dry weather for harvest.

Agronomist Joe Lauer with University of Wisconsin Extension says the Wisconsin corn crop is expected to be the second-largest on record at 505 million bushels with a record yield of 165 bushels. “One of the things very characteristic of this year is that we did not deviate from the 30-year normal for temperature or precip at any time during the season.”

The soybean crop is projected to be a record 93 million bushels with a 50 bushel yield. It was also a big year for oats production.  Harvested acreage was up 39 percent from 2014 resulting in a record 14 million bushel crop and record yield of 72 bushels per acre.

The weather also allowed for at least four cuttings of hay across the state with harvest at the second-fastest pace on record.  Hay supplies going into the winter months are listed as 74 percent adequate and 25 percent surplus.

Record warm temperatures in September helped crops mature ahead of normal and led to an early harvest.  The warm, dry conditions continued into November allowing Badger State farmers to complete 86 percent of fall tillage.

Read the full summary here: