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Tennessee crop update: 80% corn, 51% soybeans harvested

Many Tennessee farmers were able to get back into the fields following heavy rains from Hurricane Helene.

Northwest Tennessee David Nichols says they got an early start on harvest, and then the calendar turned to September.  “We’ve been affected by these hurricanes that’s blown up,” he says. “So September was kind of slow for us and then we had some pretty big rain events out of those two systems.”

Corn harvest is still running ahead of the average pace statewide at 80 percent complete.  As for yields, he tells Brownfield. “We’ve had an all-time high for us on average yield on corn,” he says.  “We’re finished with corn. It’s the best corn crop we ever produced.”

Statewide, soybean harvest is 51 percent complete, with 83 percent dropping leaves.

Nicols says yields have been better than average. “So far, the early planted April soybeans have also had really strong yields for us here,” he says. 

Cotton is 19 percent harvested with 34 percent of that crop rated good to excellent.  Pastures are rated 21 percent good to excellent.  Winter wheat is 20 percent planted with 2 percent emerged. 

While harvest activities have resumed throughout much of the state, the USDA says Eastern counties report severe damage from winds and floodings.  Greenhouses have been destroyed, crops have been blown down while others have flooded, and some barns have lost roofs from the high winds.

Topsoil moisture is 83 percent adequate to surplus and subsoil moisture is 74 percent adequate to surplus.

AUDIO: David Nichols, Tennessee farmer

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