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Flying farmer sees good conditions in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa

A flying farmer says crops look great all along his recent three-state flight path. Bob Metz takes to the air quite often to scout fields or to make a parts run. On his own place, in far northeastern South Dakota’s Roberts County, current conditions point to a good crop, said Metz.

“We’ve just had about perfect weather getting a half-inch to an inch of rain every week,” said Metz, during an interview with Brownfield Ag News Thursday. “We don’t need a lot because we still have a lot of subsoil moisture, and the heat degree units have been about perfect, so the corn began tasseling about a week ago; beans are growing nicely.”

A recent cross-country flight in Metz’s Just SuperSTOL aircraft caused the farmer to comment that good crops are evident across his 180-mile route.

“Southern Minnesota, down in here to Iowa, it just looks good the entire way, it really does,” said Metz, a past president of the American Soybean Association, past chairman of the National Biodiesel Board, and just finishing a long run as a United Soybean Board director.

Wednesday was a good day for flying, according to Metz, which meant he was among other working aircraft.

”Spray planes were out all day yesterday, and again today, putting fungicide on corn down here.”

“Crops just look excellent no matter which direction I fly,” he said, “except when you go farther north where North Dakota did struggle.”