Weekly Weather and Crop Update

It was another good week for corn and soybean development but a 1 inch rain soon sure would be nice! Temperatures last week averaged 71.7 degrees and that was .4 degrees below normal. Rainfall totaled only .14 inches which was .83 inches below normal. Growing degree units totaled 150 which was only 2 percent below normal. The grand total growing degree units since May 1 are 1456.5 and that puts un 9 percent above normal.

For the most part corn and soybeans have not been stressed this year because of high temperatures or lack of moisture. However, in the immediate Faribault area it is getting a little dry and a rain soon would be welcome. You can see many lawns in Faribault turning brown and going dormant. However, subsoil moisture seems to be maintaining the corn and soybeans  except in the light sandy pockets.

Much of the corn is through the critical pollination period or soon will be, Talking with agronomists they all feel that corn should have pollinated well. The old phrase is the corn crop is made in July, the soybean crop in August. The corn and soybeans are a long way from being in the bin, but so far things seem pretty good!