Across the Corn Belt, warmth in advance of a cold front is shifting eastward. Later Tuesday, high temperatures will range from 85 to 90°F in much of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Meanwhile, showers and thunderstorms are slowing late-season planting efforts in the western Corn Belt. A ribbon of poor air quality, related to smoke…… Continue Reading
Temps to vary across the Heartland; a seasonally wetter pattern for many
Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for the likelihood of near- or above-normal temperatures and precipitation across most of the country. Cooler-than-normal conditions will be confined to portions of the central Plains and western and central Corn Belt. Meanwhile, drier-than-normal weather should be limited to the Northwest. The post Temps to vary across…… Continue Reading
Watch the wheat for signs of scab, striped rust
Many wheat growing regions are close to anthesis, and there are some concerns about head scab and striped rust, two diseases that can quickly reduce yields and profits. Dr. Damon Smith is a plant pathologist with the University of Wisconsin, and he has advice for scouting and when to spray fungicides. A link to the…… Continue Reading
Minnesota crops bouncing back from May weather challenges
An extension crops educator is encouraged with how Minnesota crops are rebounding from May weather challenges. Dave Nicolai with the University of Minnesota says corn, soybeans, small grains and sugarbeets endured abnormally warm conditions in early May, followed by cool, wet weather. “The corn looked and appeared very yellow, probably a lack of sunshine (and)…… Continue Reading
Michigan crops over half emerged
A Michigan farmer says he finished planting in record time. Sanilac County’s Dennis Gardner tells Brownfield a deep freeze during the winter helped set fields up with good soil conditions. “We did switch over to putting soybeans in after we planted some of our sugarbeets this year, just because I don’t like the fact of putting…… Continue Reading
Spraying picks up as planting winds down in Iowa
Iowa farmers are busy spraying weeds as planting comes to an end. Mark Jackson grows corn and soybeans in the southeast part of the state and tells Brownfield conditions for herbicide applications have not been ideal. “It’s kind of always a hurdle chasing the windy weather, especially when we have temperature spikes that we’ve been…… Continue Reading
South Dakota farmer pleased with crop progress
A northeastern South Dakota farmer says crops are looking good so far this spring. Ryan Wagner raises wheat, corn, and soybeans near Roslyn. He says spring wheat looks very good. “We’re mostly tillered out and close to the boot stage, and probably a couple of weeks away from starting to show some heads.” USDA says…… Continue Reading
Soybeans down, corn mostly weak, watching weather
Soybeans were lower on fund and technical selling. Beans were down on spillover from bean products while reacting to increased trade tensions over tariffs with China. U.S. planting and development conditions look favorable in most areas. The USDA says 67% of the crop is in good to excellent shape, with 84% planted and 63% emerged.…… Continue Reading
Illinois planting continues
The USDA says Illinois farmers continue to make planting progress. Western Illinois farmer Brady Holst, who’s based in Hancock County, says his fields are off to a good start. “We got the corn in in less than a week before the end of April.” He says, “Then finished up the beans a little bit after…… Continue Reading
Southwestern Indiana farmer continues to battle wet weather
A southwestern Indiana farmer says wet weather continues to cause planting delays. Ben Kron raises corn and soybeans in Vanderburgh County. “We’re having issues with standing water in places and a lack of oxygen going to the plants,” he says. “There’s too much water and a lot of yellow spots out in the field. It seems…… Continue Reading
