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Minnesota corn planting nears halfway mark

Planting continues to pace ahead of normal in Minnesota.

USDA’s latest weekly crop report says corn planting reached 44 percent, two days ahead of last year and slightly ahead of the five-year average of 43 percent.

Soybeans are 22 percent planted, compared to 17 percent at this time a year ago and 20 percent normally.

West-central Minnesota farmer and Minnesota Farmers Union president Gary Wertish tells Brownfield his family finished planting over the weekend.

“There are wet parts in the southeastern part of the state that are probably just getting started due to not any large rains, but just rains quite often (that) have kept them out of the field.”

Spring wheat is 30 percent planted and 5 percent emerged statewide, and sugarbeets are 77 percent planted as of Sunday.