Planting nearly wrapped up

Upper Midwest farmers are on the home stretch this spring planting season.

Nearly all of the corn and most of the soybeans were planted in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota as of June 4, according to the weekly planting progress report released Monday by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

This year's planting pace for all three crops exceeds their respective five-year average, according to NASS.

Wheat, corn and soybeans are the region's three major crops. Typically, farmers begin planting with wheat, follow with corn and finish up with soybeans. Wheat planting generally is finished by late May or early June.

Sunflowers - popular in parts of North Dakota and South Dakota - most often are planted after soybeans. So it's not surprising that farmers in the two states still have more sunflowers to put in the ground. Nonetheless, farmers in both states made considerable planting progress with the crop in the week ending June 4.

In North Dakota, 81 percent of sunflowers were planted as of June 4. That's up from 58 percent a week earlier and the five-year average of 59 percent.

In South Dakota 48 percent of sunflowers were in the ground on June 4. That's up from 30 percent a week earlier and the five-year average of 33 percent.

Conditions should allow for normal completion of planting, the Mandan, N.D.-based National Sunflower Association says.

Here's a closer look at corn and soybeans:

Corn

North Dakota - 99 percent planted on June 4, up from 94 percent a week earlier and the five-year average of 93 percent. Sixty-seven percent of planted corn was rated good or excellent, 26 percent fair.

South Dakota - 99 percent planted on June 4, up from 95 percent a week earlier and the five-year average of 97 percent. Sixty-two percent of the crop was rated good or excellent, 32 percent fair.

Minnesota - 99 percent planted on June 4, up from 96 percent a week earlier and the five-year average of 96 percent. Seventy-seven percent of the crop was rated good or excellent, 21 percent fair.

Soybeans

South Dakota - 92 percent planted on June 4, up from 72 percent a week earlier and the five-year average of 83 percent.

Minnesota - 94 percent planted on June 4, up from 81 percent a week earlier and the five-year average of 86 percent.

North Dakota - 94 percent planted on June 4, up from 83 percent a week earlier and the five-year average of 81 percent.