Minnesota

Cool and wet conditions have continued into the month of June across Minnesota and Wisconsin preventing large areas from completing planting. Many producers have shifted their focus from unplanted corn to planting soybeans; while others have already opted to take prevented planting payments for their unplanted acres. Dairy producers have continued to plant corn for high moisture and silage, as they are concerned about feed options, but weather conditions have limited progress.

Hopefully the wet and cool spring is now behind us.  Within the last two weeks we have received record May snow totals and record high temperatures.   Parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin reported over 12 inches of snow on May 2^nd; on Tuesday May 14^th temperatures reached 102_°F in Southern Minnesota.  Although planting is well behind last year’s record pace, we are starting to make significant progress across the two state region.

Although we would prefer for more favorable weather conditions at this time, we are still in line to plant for high yield potential based on historic data and trends.  Mother Nature is out of our control so all we can do is keep a positive outlook and prepare to make the best decisions when the time comes to start planting.

Soybean yield performance varied throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin, but was overall better than many expected considering the seasons' challenges. Planting got off to a good start with warm and dry spring weather, but soils began to crust over in areas, and many growers had to use a rotary hoe to break up the soil crust, or in some situations replant fields. There were also issues with planting into extremely dry soils and waiting several weeks for enough moisture for the seed to imbibe water and germinate. These complications resulted in lower than desired final plant stands.

Corn harvest is mostly complete in Minnesota and Wisconsin with many farmers making great progress with fall tillage and nitrogen applications.  Early planting, plenty of heat combined with lack of moisture allowed the region to complete one of the earliest harvests in recent memory.  Along with the rest of the Corn Belt, yield performance was largely determined by the area's precipitation and the field’s soil water holding capacity. It wasn’t uncommon to see 50-100 bushel/acre yield differences between farms within a small area.

The majority of Minnesota has continued to receive timely rains over the past couple of weeks, and crops continue to look very good considering the challenges for most of the Corn Belt.  Currently 76% of the corn and 80% of soybeans are rated in fair to good condition.  The southwest portion of the state has not been as fortunate in receiving moisture, resulting in poor corn grain fill and soybean pod setting.  Crop conditions in Wisconsin vary across the state as rain showers have continued to be scattered.  Fields that looked good before pollination have missed rain

Hi, I’m Logan Vaughn, Northern Agronomist serving both Minnesota and Wisconsin. This is only my second month with LG Seeds but I’m extremely excited about the team we have in the North and the corn, soybean and alfalfa products we have to offer. I grew up in Central Indiana on my parents’ farm and went to Purdue University for my undergraduate degree and then the University of Nebraska for my M.S. in Agronomy.