Almost one-quarter of the soybean acreage was harvested in Minnesota during the week ending Sunday, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. There were 5.3 days suitable for fieldwork, the most days suitable since the first week of August. While the drier weather allowed harvest in most areas, there were reports of fields or spots in fields still too wet to harvest. Field activities for the week included harvesting and fall tilling.
Topsoil moisture supplies were rated 0 percent very short, 2 percent short, 72 percent adequate, and 26 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies were rated 0 percent very short, 1 percent short, 74 percent adequate, and 25 percent surplus.
With almost all of Minnesota’s corn acreage mature, 31 percent of corn for grain was harvested, 6 days behind the five-year average and 5 days behind last year. Corn moisture content of grain at harvest was 19 percent. Corn condition rated 86 percent good to excellent, up 1 percentage point from last week. Virtually all of the corn for silage acreage had been harvested. Eighty seven percent of the soybean acreage was harvested, slightly ahead of average but 1 week behind last year. Fifty percent of the sunflower acreage was harvested, just ahead of average but 1 week behind 2015. Sunflower condition rated 59 percent good to excellent. Ninety-eight percent of the potato acreage had been harvested, ahead of average. Advancing 31 percentage points from the previous week, 71 percent of the sugarbeet crop was harvested, 2 days behind the average pace.