Crop Progress and Condition for the Week Ending Sept. 21, 2014
With 5.4 days suitable for field work, small grains harvest advanced to near completion. Varying degrees of frost damage were reported by respondents throughout much of Minnesota, but crop conditions remained largely unchanged.
Field activities for the week included hauling manure to fields where wheat and oats were combined.
Topsoil moisture supplies were rated 0 percent very short, 8 percent short, 86 percent adequate, and 6 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies were rated 0 percent very short, 10 percent short, 86 percent adequate, and 4 percent surplus.
Ninety-one percent of the corn crop was at or beyond the dent stage. With 19 percent of the corn crop mature, crop conditions remained unchanged and stand at 71 percent good to excellent.
Eighty-one percent of the soybean crop was turning color or beyond, 4 days behind average. Thirty-eight percent of the crop was dropping leaves, with 65 percent in good to excellent condition.
Spring wheat harvest, at 91 percent complete, remains 10 days behind average. This is the slowest harvest pace since 2009.
Forty-three percent of the potato crop has been harvested, 4 days behind the average. Potato conditions remained unchanged with 84 percent good to excellent.
Ninety-six percent of the dry edible bean crop is fully podded, with 86 percent of the crop at or beyond the coloring stage. Dry edible bean harvest, at 18 percent, is 11 days behind average. Dry edible bean conditions remained unchanged at 53 percent in good to excellent condition.
Seven percent of the sugarbeets are now harvested, with 72 percent of the crop in good to excellent condition. The third cutting of alfalfa hay was 89 percent complete, slightly behind last year. Pasture conditions decreased slightly to 70 percent good to excellent.
