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Wisconsin farmer optimistic about forage production despite drought

An eastern Wisconsin dairy farmer says his forage crops look good as harvest approaches.

Raymond Dietrich, who grows corn and alfalfa on his 550 head operation, says he’s likely three weeks away from cutting silage.

“Corn looks good this year.”  He says, “We have an awful uneven crop because of the wet spring, but all in all, it looks like a pretty decent crop.  It’s just around the corner. We plant a late day corn, so it tends to be we’re later than everybody else.”

He tells Brownfield that his area has been spared from much of the severe drought plaguing the northern two thirds of the state.

“We ended up with a couple of showers in between that dry stretch that kept us rolling right through and then we’re heavy clay soil here, so we tend to not dry out very much.”  He says, “And the other thing is we’re high no-till operation. It doesn’t dry out as much.”

As of Sunday, the USDA says 62% of Wisconsin corn is in good to excellent condition, even with last week.  Ninety-three percent is in the dough stage, 57% is dented, and 14% is mature.  Sixty percent of soybeans are in good condition, which is down 1% on the week, with 12% dropping leaves.  Ninety-five percent of oats are harvested.

AUDIO: Raymond Dietrich – Wisconsin farmer