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Michigan farmers geared up for harvest

Harvest is going full tilt for most Michigan farmers.

Sixth-generation grower Brett Roberts tells Brownfield he started harvesting soybeans over the weekend.

“We have been very dry so we’re a little concerned about how the crop finished, corn and beans both” he shares.

“I think we’re still going to have a good crop. We had potential for a really great crop, but no rain for a month I think took the top end off of that.”

Roberts says while he is focused on getting crops out, he’s concerned it will be a tough couple of years with the current ag economy.

“The next few years are going to be very, very lean,” he says. “I think you will see farmers cut back on fertilizer, cut back on some other things that they’ve been putting on to build ground, maybe taking some of those resources back out of the soil over the next couple of years.”

The USDA says Michigan’s corn crop is rated 65 percent good to excellent with 95 percent dented and 69 percent mature. Corn harvest for grain is nine percent complete and silage harvest is 76 percent finished.

Soybeans are 87 percent dropping leaves with 59 percent of the crop good to excellent and 24 percent harvested. Winter wheat planting is 26 percent completed, ahead of last year and the five-year average.

Dry beans are 84 percent harvested while sugarbeets are 19 percent harvested and rated 50 percent good to excellent.

The fourth cutting of alfalfa is 56 percent finished.

Recent rains have been good for apples as harvest continues.

AUDIO: Brett Roberts