Soybean harvest almost done, corn still drying in fields

By Bill Novak, Capital Newspapers

Another week of good weather allowed Wisconsin farmers to get practically all of the soybean crop in, but farmers still are harvesting standing corn and hope to do so before the first snows fly.

The weekly crop progress report from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service said soybeans were 94 percent harvested, compared to a 5-year average of 99 percent complete by now.

Corn is 59 percent harvested, up dramatically from a week before but still way behind the 5-year average of 87 percent through Nov. 22.

High moisture in corn is stifling harvest, but the report said the time is coming soon where corn would have to be harvested before the snows make it too hard to get into fields.

"At this point, many just want to get the corn off the field, regardless of the moisture in it," said a farmer from Kewaunee County. "The drying costs for storing corn will be higher, but with winter coming soon, the fall tillage has to be completed."

A Waupaca farmer said "Farmers just want to get corn done before a heavy snow comes."

Winter wheat planting is mostly completed with 72 percent emerged. Growers said the emerged wheat is in good condition.

Plowing is 48 percent complete, and while conditions were favorable for tillage, many growers put it off to concentrate on harvest.