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USDA says not much activity in Wisconsin fields yet

USDA has begun the weekly crop progress reports for the 2025 growing season, and thanks to the weather, there isn’t much to report in Wisconsin.

Greg Bussler with the National Ag Statistics Service office in Madison says much of the state received rain, ice, or snow during the past seven days.  He says while conditions were not favorable for most fieldwork, some manure was applied where conditions allowed.

Wisconsin’s cranberry growers did use flooding and sprinkler systems to protect the vines from frost last week.

Oat planting is 1% complete.  Spring tillage is just 2% complete.

Just 2% of the winter wheat is in excellent condition, with 24% rated good, 41% fair, and 17% poor.

Pastures and range lands are just 2% excellent with 24% rated good and 41% fair.  Thirty three percent of the pasture and range land is in poor or very poor condition.

The late March weather has soaked much of Wisconsin.  Twenty-eight percent of topsoil has surplus moisture with 62% rated adequate and just 10% short of moisture.  Subsoil readings are similar with 21% having too much moisture and 57% adequate levels of moisture.  Wisconsin received between half an inch and three inches of rain last week, with the most rain falling in southeastern parts of the state between Milwaukee and the Illinois state line.