Illinois and Indiana are two of the major corn and soybean producing states that are still crossing their fingers for weather that allows them to wrap up the harvest. That wish is being shared by an awful lot of Wisconsin farmers too!
According to the Wisconsin Ag Statistical Service, as of Sunday statewide Wisconsin had only harvested 30% of its corn for grain. That's 3 weeks behind last years mark and 18 days off the 5 year average pace.
Despite the cold and snow, confidence in the corn crop remained pretty strong with 67% of the crop called good to excellent. That's up 5 percentage points in a week.
Soybeans are a little more advanced with 71% of that crop already off. It's still off the pace by 15 days compared to the 5 year average.
One area that's really lagging is fall tillage. State officials say only 31% of fields have received any fall tillage, 18 days behind the 5 year average and a factor that could also bring repercussions for spring planting.
There's also a number of agronomy experts and farmers themselves that worry about the deep ruts that have been created because of the wet, slippery conditions, and how that will impact soil compaction next spring.
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