News

58% of Minnesota corn rated good to excellent

An extended Minnesota corn planting season is essentially over with early condition ratings lower than normal.

In its latest crop progress report, the USDA says 58 percent of corn is rated good to excellent.  Emergence, at 87 percent, is two weeks behind normal.

Soybean planting advanced to 94 percent.  In the first condition rating of the season, 66 percent of the Minnesota bean acres are in good to excellent shape.

For small grains, nearly all the spring wheat acres have emerged, with 86 percent of the crop rated good to excellent.  Oats are virtually all emerged, with jointing at 70 percent.  The condition rating improved to 69 percent good to excellent.  With most of the barley crop up, nearly half the acres are at the joint stage.

Many farmers have juggled planting with spraying and fertilizing the first half of June.