Sometimes newly released U.S. Department of Agriculture reports contain surprises. Sometimes they reinforce what everyone already knows. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest crop progress report does the latter.
The overall Upper Midwest corn and soybean harvests have slowed badly and now trail their respective five-year averages, according to the crop progress report released Oct. 15 by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, an arm of USDA..
The report reflects conditions on Sunday Oct. 14. Oct. 8-14 brought widespread precipitation, including heavy snow in parts of the area, that limited harvest for many farmers and shut it down altogether for some others.
Soybeans hold more immediate concern than corn. The former generally is harvested earlier and, because it's close to the ground, is harder to combine in accumulated snow.
The precipitation helped some agricultural producers, especially ones who have finished harvest or focus primarily on livestock, by partially recharging soil moisture. Even so, many areas remain dry and some are now too wet.,
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In Minnesota, 34 percent of the state has surplus subsoil moisture, with 61 percent adequate and 5 percent short or very short.
Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, on balance, have the opposite concern.
In Montana, 1 percent of the state has surplus subsoil moisture, with 47 percent adequate and 52 percent short or very short.
In North Dakota, 6 percent of the state has surplus moisture, with 58 percent adequate and 36 percent short or very short.
In South Dakota, 7 percent of the state has surplus moisture, with 61 percent adequate and 32 percent short or very short.
Here's what the new report says about the area's corn and soybean harvests:
Soybeans
North Dakota - Thirty-seven percent of the crop was harvested by Sept. 14, compared with the five-year average of 70 percent for that date.
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South Dakota - Twenty-nine percent of the crop was harvested by Sept. 14, compared with the five-year average of 65 percent for that date.
Minnesota - Thirty-eight percent of the crop was harvested by Sept. 14, compared with the five-year average of 69 percent for that date.
Corn
South Dakota - Seventeen percent of the crop was harvested by Sept. 14, compared with the five-year average of 21 percent.
Minnesota - Eighteen percent of the crop was harvested by Sept. 14, compared with the five-year average of 20 percent for that date.
North Dakota - Twelve percent of the crop was harvested by Sept. 14, compared with the five-year average of 13 percent for that date.
