News

Dry conditions rapidly maturing crops

Scattered rains have not been able to alleviate dryness across counties in Michigan’s Northern and Eastern Lower Peninsula.

The USDA says corn condition dropped to 60 percent good to excellent with 81 percent dented and 24 percent mature.  Corn silage harvest reached 40 percent.

Soybeans dropped ten points to 55 percent good to excellent with 53 percent dropping leaves.  Dry beans are 38 percent good to excellent.  Sugarbeets are 11 percent harvested.

Apple growers are reporting a heavy crop with large fruit and harvest bins hard to find in some locations.  In the last vegetable report of the season, USDA says more late blight cases in potatoes and heavy rain has the state in a medium to high risk for the disease.