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Wisconsin corn, soybeans benefit from last weeks warm weather

Last week’s warmer and drier weather helped boost Wisconsin’s crop maturity.  The USDA’s National Ag Statistics Service says there were only a few brief scattered showers in the state.

In northwestern Wisconsin, River Falls farmer Tom Gillis tells Brownfield his corn and beans benefited from that warm spell.  “We’ve got a good dent.  We’re about 25% milk line I would say, so we’ve got a little ways to go yet.  There are a few, very few beanfields that are close to combining.  Most of the rest are still kind of green and in that yellow stage.”

Gillis says some neighbors are cutting corn silage.  Northern Wisconsin farmers say corn plants still have too much moisture to chop silage.

Wisconsin’s potato harvest is almost half done, but Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association President Tamas Houlihan tells Brownfield some areas are a couple of weeks behind.  “I know in the Antigo (Wis.) area where a lot of seed potatoes are grown is just getting started with a lot of their harvest operations.  They typically would be going as early as September 1st.”

Ninety-three percent of Wisconsin’s corn is at dough stage or beyond and 10% reaching maturity.  The condition is unchanged from last week with 70% as good or excellent.

Seventy-six percent of soybeans are good to excellent.

Twenty-two percent of the winter wheat is now planted.