Crop Progress and Condition for the Week Ending June 28, 2015.
Prolonged floods and ponding in fields prevented farmers from applying much needed nutrients to stressed and deteriorating crops which continued to bring down crop conditions, according to the USDA, NASS, Great Lakes Region. While there was less rainfall across the state than last week, many crops remained in standing water. Fieldwork remains very limited while the fields remained saturated. Lodging, yellowing, and snapped stalks has become more widespread as the storms continued bringing strong wind and hail.
There were 1.5 days available for fieldwork this week, up 0.4 days from the previous week.
Soil surpluses continued to be abundant, especially in low lying fields and areas that cannot drain the excess moisture. Many farmers have been unable to apply nitrogen to corn, which continued to become pale and yellow from lack of nutrients. Weed pressure has increased across the state. Storms also brought more strong wind and hail, flattening some fields with shallow root systems.
Many winter wheat fields were unable to be harvested, and have become prone to vomitoxin and lodging. Drier conditions in the southwest corner of the State allowed growers to harvest wheat, as the window of opportunity to plant double cropped soybeans got shorter. Although the full extent of the damage to the crops is unclear, many areas that have been damaged or destroyed will not be replanted.
Feedlots remain soaked and in poor condition. Hay fields continue to be green and grow, but many have been left uncut and in standing water. Mint harvest has begun. Other activities for the week included ditch draining, mowing roadsides, hauling grain, and certifying crop acres with FSA. Regionally, winter wheat mature was 45% in the North, 65% in Central and 89% in the South.
By region winter wheat harvested was 1% in the North, 10% in Central, and 39% in the South. Soybeans blooming was 1% complete in the North, 2% in Central and 3% in the South. Corn silking was 0% complete in the North, 0% in Central and 2% in South.
