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Rains offset crop condition declines

Widespread rains last week in Michigan have limited crop condition declines.

The USDA says corn condition dropped four points to 51 percent good to excellent.  Soybeans are 28 percent blooming, and condition dropped one point to 54 percent good to excellent.

Technical service representative Trevor Kraus with BASF tells Brownfield crops have gone ten plus days with minimal rainfall in Michigan.

“The corn crop and the soybean crops have been suffering under some drought stress,” he says.  “You can see the corn rolling, some of its not even unrolling come morning so that’s pretty severe and seeing some wilted soybeans.”

He says hot, dry weather also hardens weeds where they develop a lactic cuticle which can limit their uptake of herbicides.

As of Sunday, 65 percent of oats, 63 percent of winter wheat, 46 percent of dry beans, and 41 percent of sugarbeets were in good to excellent condition.

Hot, dry weather continues to stress fruit crops and many growers have been irrigating.  Tart cherry harvest in the southwest region of the state and early season blueberry harvest is underway.

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