Statewide corn harvest

[Spinach]

I know its probably about 2 or more weeks early, but how is the corn harvest in your area going. I'm hoping that with all the rain we got recently that some of the farmers will get started very soon.

I'm real curious to hear reports from the Southwest part of the state too.

[JackpineRob]

Driving back from Alexandria yesterday on 94, it appears that the bean harvest is in full swing - at least half the fields were either harvested or in the process.

Corn was another matter.  Very little (other than what looks like sileage cutting) has been harvested along the 94 corridor.  From the looks of the fields, harvesting could be underway very soon - unless the recent rains screw up the moisture content.

[thunderpout]

I know some people in Owatonna, Houston(SE MN) and Worthington MN and for the most part, they're soaked over the waders down there, so who knows when...man, its still coming down, downthere but north of the cities, cambridge, Millacs area and Alex, like Jackpine said should be gettin harvested soon.  I always do really well to the north side on the swamp chickens, and Im hearing stories about it lookin like S.D. up there!      -thunderpout 8)

[schwinger]

I just got off the phone with the guy kind enough to let me hunt his family farm in South Dakota. He drives from Grantsburg WI to NE SD just about every week. He says most of the corn is out in western MN. SD has not started yet but he figures by the time I get out there (Oct 26 - 31) it should be well on its way to gone, beans are about 3/4 gone.

[Mayfly]

Wet fall could slow harvest in southern Minnesota
 
MANKATO, Minn. (AP) - More moisture in Minnesota's fields could slow the fall harvest in south-central Minnesota, an agriculture official said.

The region has seen a lot of rain in the past two weeks, with some areas receiving up to 7 inches.

About three-quarters of the corn crop hasn't yet been harvested in southern Minnesota, said Jurgen Peters, an extension agent from Mankato. And soybeans, which are usually harvested before corn, are mostly still in the field.

"It's still only the second week of October, so we're all right," Peters said. "But with this totally saturated soil, anything more is going to slow things down considerably."

For farmers who have corn stalks that have fallen to the ground because of rootworms or high winds, the wet soil is only adding to the problems. The corn pickers must go slow to reach stalks on the ground, and they might get stuck in the mud, Peters said.

"They don't have that inertia to take them through the wet spots," he said.

The wet fall could also be problem for rural motorists, Peters said. Farmers will have to transfer corn and soybeans from combines into trucks parked on roadways. That could result in more slick mud on the roads, he said.

"A lot of people have moved into these rural areas the past 20 years. They're all driving to work and back, and it's dark. They need to watch out," he said.




(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)