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Agronomist says WI crop conditions vary widely

An agronomist tells Brownfield crop conditions vary widely in Wisconsin due to early season drought and varying soil types.

Derrick Dryer with Stine Seed says he’s amazed by how good some of the corn looks, even on sandy soils, but he’s had farmers give up on corn because they need animal feed. “There are certain cases where guys are going in there with sorghum-sudangrass yet. There was a guy a couple of weeks ago in Wisconsin planting some early-day silage corn, just trying to get something, some feed for the animals. It’s dire.”

And Dryer says some farmers recently replanted soybeans. “This grower, he planted his beans a little bit later and they just died, I mean, just lack of water. They shriveled up to nothing and turned brown so he’s replanting. It’s July and we’re planting a chunk of beans here again, and it’s not double-crop. It’s replant again.

Dryer says there are a few more farmers double-cropping soybeans behind wheat this year. “A lot of guys are putting beans in after wheat for just a little more income, I guess. We usually don’t see a whole lot of that this time of year. Very, very little. You can still get a little, maybe 25 bushel if you’re lucky.”

Dryer says drought-tolerant varieties have performed well up to this point, but now, they’re going to need rain to make bushels.

Dryer spoke to Brownfield during Wisconsin Farm Technology Days.