The calendar says October. The Upper Midwest harvest pace says September.
The weekly crop progress report, reflecting conditions Sept. 29 and released Sept. 30 by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, or NASS, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, confirmed that the area harvest remains far behind schedule. In fact, some key harvest measures are even further behind than they had been, reflecting heavy, widespread rains in late September.
Normally, early October sees the end of spring wheat harvest, with corn and soybean harvest well under way. This fall, however, a good chunk of spring wheat remains in fields, while corn and soybean harvest has barely begun.
For example, spring wheat harvest in Montana was 84% finished on Sept. 29 compared with the five-year average of 97% for that date.
And South Dakota farmers had harvested just 1% of their soybeans on Sept. 29 compared with the five-year average of 19% for that date.
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Late-September rains also hurt the condition of many area corn and soybean fields, with a smaller percentage of both crops in good or excellent condition on Sept. 29 than a week earlier, according to NASS statistics.
Something else to watch closely in coming weeks: The sugar beet harvest in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota was only slightly behind schedule on Sept. 29 according to the new crop progress report. Recent heavy rains definitely will hamper beet harvest in October; the question is how much.
Here's a closer look at spring wheat, corn and soybeans, the region's three major crops.
Spring wheat
Montana: 84% of the crop was harvested as of Sept. 29, compared with the five-year average of 97%.
Minnesota: 97% of spring wheat was combined as of Sept. 29 compared with the five-year average of 100%.
North Dakota: 89% of the crop was harvested on Sept. 29 compared with the five-year average of 97%.
South Dakota: Farmers in the state finished harvesting their spring wheat in the week ending Sept 29. Many fields, however, were combined much later than normal.
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Corn
Minnesota: No corn in the state was harvested by Sept. 29; the five-year average was 4%; 53% was rated good or excellent, the rest fair to very poor.
North Dakota: No corn was combined by Sept. 29; the five-year average was 3%; 69% was in good or excellent shape, the rest fair to very poor.
South Dakota: None of the state's corn was harvested by Sept. 29; the five-year average was 7%; 69% was in good or excellent shape; the rest fair to very poor.
Soybeans
North Dakota: 4% of soybeans was harvested by Sept. 29, down from the five-year average of 26%; 65% of the crop was rated good or excellent, the rest fair to very poor.
South Dakota: 1% of the crop was combined by Sept. 29, down from the five-year average of 19%; 61% of the crop was rated good or excellent, the rest fair to very poor.
Minnesota: 5% of soybeans was harvested by Sept. 29, down from the five-year average of 24%; 56% of the crop was in good or excellent shape, the rest fair to very poor.
