Weekly Weather and Crop Update

Cool but dryer weather pretty well sums up last weeks weather at the Southern Research and Outreach Center at Waseca. Rainfall totaled .36 inches which was .76 inches less than normal. Temperatures averaged 65.2 degrees and that was 3.7 inches less than normal. Because of the cool temperatures we only accumulated 108.5 growing degree units. That was 16 percent less than normal. Plus, since May 1 we have only totaled 548 growing degree units. Last year at this time we had received 854.5 growing degree units!

Corn that was planted early has reached the V6 stage and is a little over 12 inches tall. The corn that was planted in early June is just a couple inches tall. Soybeans range from just emerged to the 3rd trifoliolate leaf stage. We have been fortunate that there were a number of calm days which allowed spraying of post emergence herbicides. We need warmer temperatures. Well, let me qualify those warmer temperatures, (be careful what you wish for) daily highs of 85 degrees and lows of 70 degrees!