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Cold, wet weather limiting field activities

Cold and wet field conditions across many parts of the Midwest are delaying harvest progress and winter wheat planting.

USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says winter wheat planting is starting to fall behind the five-year average but is still ahead of last year.  “The number one production state, Kansas, seeing a very slow progress on harvesting due to the wet conditions.”  He says emergence in the fields that have been planted has been ahead of average.

Angie Setzer with Michigan-based Citizens Grain tells Brownfield farmers who have experienced heavy rain will harvest a discounted crop this year which does not help already tight margins.  “Luckily we haven’t seen the rainfall amounts that folks in parts of Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Minnesota have, but we do want to watch and make sure the crop is of reasonable quality.”

She says while crops are also wet in the Eastern Corn Belt, quality has been much better than crops in the Western Corn Belt.