USDA Crop Progress Report Released.

Jun 22, 2015

The USDA released the weekly Crop Progress Report.

Highlights

A rainy week across the Midwest slowed down soybean planting last week and lowered the condition ratings for beans and corn.

As of Sunday, 90% of U.S. soybeans are planted, only up 3% on the week and slower than average, with 84% of the crop emerged, also behind the normal pace. 65% of U.S. soybeans are rated good to excellent, 2% below a week ago.

71% of the U.S. corn crop is called good to excellent, 2% below last week.

That rainfall also slowed down the winter wheat harvest. 19% is harvested, with a number of states yet to really get started, compared to the five year average of 31%. 41% of the crop is in good to excellent condition, a 2% week to week decline.

23% of spring wheat has headed, compared to 15% on average, and 71% of the crop is in good to excellent shape, up 1%.

65% of U.S. pastures and rangelands are in good condition, 1% below a week ago, but 10% more than a year ago at this time.

For the full report visit

http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/CropProg/CropProg-06-22-2015.pdf

Video: Spring Planting Prep Just Got Serious… We NEED This!

Getting closer to planting season means one thing… it’s time to get EVERYTHING ready.

Today didn’t go exactly as planned—we thought we’d be hauling potatoes again, but instead we spent the day digging equipment out of the cellar, hooking up the grain drill, and getting tractors ready to roll. With wheat planting just around the corner, every piece of equipment matters.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a normal day without a few problems… dead batteries, hydraulic issues, and a truck tire that absolutely refused to cooperate. We tried everything—jump packs, bead bazooka, ratchet straps… and eventually had to bring out the “big guns” just to get things moving again.

But that’s farm life—adapt, fix, and keep moving forward.

We’re getting close to go-time. Wheat seed is coming soon, and planting season is right around the corner