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Michigan crop development, harvest progress lagging averages

A southeast Michigan farmer says his crops are faring surprisingly well this season.

Lenawee County’s Zach Schaffner tells Brownfield, “We’re very happy with the way things are looking.”

“Soybeans are probably hit or miss, but better than average, I would say, and we’ve got a really nice corn crop out there,” he shares.

He says soybeans could be ready to harvest by the end of next week.

“It’s pretty dry now, but we have been getting some rains lately, and I know we’re supposed to get some next week as well, that might slow us down,” he says.

Schaffner grows corn, soybeans, wheat, rye, and hay with his family in Hudson.

In its latest crop progress report, USDA  says Michigan’s corn crop is rated 54 percent good to excellent, with 80 percent dented and 23 percent mature.

Michigan’s soybean crop is rated 53 percent good to excellent, with 45 percent of the crop dropping leaves and 10 percent harvested.

Eight percent of sugarbeets in the state have been harvested, behind last year and the five-year average. Winter wheat planting is 18 percent complete.