Weekly Weather and Crop Update

It was a pretty nice week for crop development last week but it would be nice to see temperatures just a little above normal to help the corn and soybeans catch up to closer to normal. Temperatures last week at the Southern Research and Outreach Center at Waseca averaged 69.4 degrees which was 2.2 degrees below normal. Growing Degree units totaled 136 ant that was 8 percent below normal. Growing degree units

Rainfall last week totaled .83 inches and that was only .15 inches below normal. There have not been a lot of week since May 1 that rainfall was less than normal! Much of the corn has tasseled except the corn that was planted in June. The general rule of thumb is it takes 60 days from tasseling to maturity or black layer. With our first frost date in Minnesota about October 1 the corn that has tasseled has a good chance to reach maturity before the frost. The soybeans are blooming and so far soybean aphid populations are very low. Maybe we will not have to spray for soybean aphids this year?