Weekly Weather and Crop Update
The warmer than normal trend changed last week to a bit cooler. In the Weekly Weather and Crop Update from the Southern Research and Outreach Center at Waseca temperatures averaged 67.4 degrees and that was 2.6 degrees below normal. Rainfall totaled 1.14 inches which was .14 inches above normal. Growing degree units totaled 135.5 and that was 8 percent below normal. Since May 1 we have accumulated 1634 growing degree units, 17 percent above normal. Normally we reach 1634 growing degree units by August 5.
Corn that was planted even in late May has now tasseled. With good soil moisture and no heat stress all the corn in our area got through the critical pollination phase stress free. Soybeans are still flowering but also in the pod filling stage. Hopefully stress free conditions continue through August. Remember the old saying that the bean crop is made in August! A week ago you had to look really hard to find soybean aphids. This week they are easy to find in almost all soybean fields. However, at this point they are well below treatment levels.