Agriculture

A proposal to expand the eligibility for producer-led watershed protection grants has been signed into law.  Governor Tony Evers signed Assembly Bill 65 Monday, allowing producer-led groups to be in a single watershed or in adjacent watersheds.  The new law also allows these farmer-led groups to be eligible for lake and river protection grants administered by the state’s Department of Natural Resources.  The producer-led program allows groups of farmers to […]

Spring planting advanced for all South Dakota’s crops in the last week. USDA says 10% of South Dakota’s soybeans are planted, in-line with the average and corn is 26% planted, near the average for this time of the year. South Dakota’s sorghum crop is 5% planted, near average with 55% of oats planted and 13% of oats emerged. Winter wheat conditions are rated 65% fair, a slight improvement from the […]

Weather has allowed for a faster-than-average planting pace, but cool temperatures have slowed emergence.  The corn crop is 66% planted, compared to the previous year at 37%, and the 5-year average of 51% with 36% of the crop emerged.  Soybeans are 38% planted compared to 18% last year and the 5-year average of 19%. Winter wheat is 68% headed with 12% of the crop rated excellent and 67% rated good.  […]

A warmer and drier week allowed Iowa farmers to make significant planting progress. USDA’s latest weekly crop report shows corn planting at 70 percent, 12 days ahead of last year and a week ahead of the five-year average. Six percent of the crop has emerged, which is just a day behind normal. Soybeans are 49 percent planted, 11 days ahead of a year ago and just over a week ahead […]

Minnesota farmers took advantage of warmer and drier weather last week. USDA’s latest weekly crop report shows corn planting advanced from five percent a week ago to nearly 30 percent as of Sunday. That pace is a week and-a-half ahead of a year ago and just one day behind the five-year average. Corn emergence is two percent. Thirteen percent of the state’s intended soybean acres are planted, which is nine […]

Dry weather continues to impact Nebraska’s winter wheat crop. The USDA says parts of the state did get some rain last week and soil moisture levels improved slightly, but most of the state remains short to very short. 51% of Nebraska’s winter wheat crop is in poor to very poor condition, unchanged on the week, with 37% now called fair, up 2%, 12% rated good, and none of the crop […]

USDA says corn and soybean planting and emergence are ahead of average in Missouri. The latest crop progress report has corn planting is 92% complete, well-ahead of the five-year average of 56% complete. Corn emergence is 56% complete, almost double the pace of the five-year average. Missouri’s soybean planting is 50% complete with 21% of the crop emerged, compared to the five-year average of 2%. Cotton planting in the state […]

Weather continues to be favorable for planting progress in Tennessee. David Nichols raises corn, soybeans, and wheat in the northwest corner of the state.  “The single crop soybeans, we’re probably something in excess of 90% planted,” he says.  “There are a lot of really early-April soybeans in our neck of the woods this time.” Statewide soybeans are 38% planted compared to 18% last year and the 5-year average of 16% […]

The USDA says another week of scattered rainfall and cooler temperatures slowed planting last week in Ohio. Eleven percent of the state’s corn crop is planted, six percentage points ahead of the one-year average. Two percent of the crop is emerged. Sixteen percent of soybeans are planted, 12 percentage points ahead of the one-year average. Two percent is emerged. Seventy-nine percent of oats are planted, and 49 percent are emerged. […]