Confirmation of my comment about the weak harvest for opening weekend of the gun deer season. The deer are sitting in the corn fields.
As winter weather moves into the state, Wisconsin farmers have not finished harvesting this year’s corn crop.
The latest crop progress report from the state’s U.S. Department of Agriculture office shows only 57 percent of corn for grain has been harvested. That’s 22 days behind last year and 18 days behind the five-year average.
Jerry Clark, agriculture educator for University of Wisconsin-Extension in Chippewa County, estimates about 20 percent of his county’s corn crop is still in the fields.
“The corn crop is usually harvested and in storage by Thanksgiving here in western Wisconsin,” Clark said. “The moisture content is the real kicker this year because it’s still high as far as being in the upper 30 percent moisture.”
Clark said grain moisture percentage is usually in the low 20s or teens by this time of year. But late planting this spring and challenging weather throughout the season delayed crop maturity.
The soybean crop is at least as bad.
Drove through Iowa and Illinois 2 weeks ago, guesstimate that 60% of the corn was still in the field, although they were out there with machinery. Northern Indiana corn is nearly all harvested this week.