(Lakefield, Mn.)– Severe weather that recently struck some parts of the region have had an impact on crop conditions in the affected locations. Jim Nesseth of Extended Ag Services in Lakefield says soybeans were particularly hard hit in those areas that experienced hail…
“We’ve had reports of anywhere from two to five bushels of losses, nothing super severe but again it just depends on what stage those soybeans are. When they’re dead ripe they are as vulnerable as you can get to hail. They call it the big white combine and there’s a lot of truth to that. So we’ve had some losses in some areas. Again, as I said, thank goodness it’s not really widespread but really frustrating for producers to have something like that happen when you’re so close to harvest.”
While some of the earlier planted soybeans are coming out, harvest activity so far in the region has been sporadic. Nesseth says some producers who don’t yet have soybeans ready or beginning to pick corn as it continues to dry down…
“Reports that I’ve had from some of the earlier maturing varieties, they are anywhere from 22 to 28 percent. I’m sure a lot of it is still above 30 but the good news there is everything seems to be standing really well and a lot of this corn is just maturing on time and the ears are starting to hang and everything is look really good there. So hopefully we’ll get some good dry down and some good quality once we get into the swing of the corn harvest.”
Nesseth says predictions for dry, warm weather over the next week or so will be ideal for dry down.
