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Hurricane rains slow Indiana harvest

A southeastern Indiana farmer says much needed rains have helped the state’s moisture levels.

Ben Kron says corn yields are better than expected.

“I wouldn’t say they’re over the top or anything too crazy, but so far definitely above average,” he says.

According to the latest crop progress and conditions report from the USDA, corn is rated ​62 percent good to excellent with 81 percent mature, 20 percent harvested for grain, and 87 percent harvested for silage. Soybeans are ​rated ​61 percent good to excellent, with 86 percent dropping leaves, and 23 percent harvested.

He tells Brownfield overall; harvest is going well.

“Most people are about halfway done, you know, same with us,” he says. “We had a pretty good, almost too dry spell there. It was kind of concerning for a little while. We’ve got a lot of rain now and in the last week or so here about three 3 1/2 inches kind of depending on where you’re at.”

Winter wheat is 13 percent planted and two percent emerged. The fourth cutting of alfalfa is 66 percent complete, and the third hay cutting is ​81 percent complete.

Topsoil moisture is 56 ​percent adequate to surplus and subsoil moisture is ​43 percent adequate to surplus.