News
Wisconsin harvests hay, wheat, potatoes as corn and beans mature
A cool and relatively dry week allowed Wisconsin farmers to make hay, while other crops continued to mature. Parts of the eastern half of the state received between 1 and two-and-a-half inches of rain.
USDA reporters say the 2nd cutting of alfalfa hay is now 93% finished, and the 3rd cutting is 38% finished, which is about 8 days ahead of last year but a day behind average. Eighty percent of Wisconsin’s hay is in good to excellent condition.
Eighty-one percent of Wisconsin’s corn is in good to excellent condition, with 84% silking, 19% at dough stage, and none reported as dented yet. Eighty-three percent of the soybeans are good to excellent. 89% are blooming with 63% of the beans setting pods.
The harvest is picking up for oats and potatoes. Thirty-four percent of the oats are in the bin, with 82% of the crop rated good to excellent. The potato harvest is now 7% complete, which is slightly behind average. The crop improved this week with 92% of the state’s potatoes reported as good to excellent. Sixty-two percent of Wisconsin’s winter wheat for grain is harvested, with 78% of the crop reported as good or excellent.