USDA’s crop progress report released Monday showed that Michigan is gaining a lot of ground.
A lot of progress was made on soybean harvest last week. As of October 20, 37 percent of the state’s soybeans were harvested, three points behind where we were at this time last year.
Corn harvest is still behind. As of the report, only 14 percent of the corn in the state has been harvested, double what it was last week, but still behind last year’s progress of 29 percent completed.
Based on the numbers, delayed planting is to blame. Here in Michigan, only 62 percent of the crop is mature, compared with the five-year average of 89 percent.
According to USDA Meteorologist Mark Brusberg, the entire country is lagging in corn maturity.
“Corn was 86 percent mature—normally they would be at 97 percent maturity,” said Brusberg. “Last year [corn] was at 99. We’re still seeing the effects of late planting and some of the cool weather that slowed down the crop.”
As for some of the other crops in the state, USDA reports 55 percent of the Michigan’s sugar beet crop is rated good to excellent, and apple harvest is nearing completion—80 percent of the state’s apples have been picked.
