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Crops hanging on despite dry conditions in Minnesota

An extension educator suggests crops are hanging on despite extreme dryness in parts of Minnesota.

Dave Nicolai with the University of Minnesota says corn looks good from the road.

“But if you get into some of these corn fields you’ll find some differences in height, certainly differences in ear length (and) girth in that type of a situation.”

He tells Brownfield corn and soybeans need more rain with depleted soil moisture supplies across the state.

“Look at the percentage of adequate moisture and how it has dropped from last year for both the topsoil and the subsoil. It’s probably down 20 or 30 percent from where we were a year ago.”

Nicolai says one bright spot for the nation’s top sugarbeet producing state is the beet crop is coming along nicely.

“In the Renville area in the southern part of the state, they’re going to be looking at opening up these fields as early as August 15th. And right now the crop looks good, looks very good in fact.”

USDA’s latest weekly crop report shows 90 percent of Minnesota’s sugarbeets are in good to excellent condition.

Brownfield interviewed Nicolai Thursday during Farmfest near Redwood Falls, Minnesota.