NORTH ADAMS, Mich. — From northern Ohio west to central Iowa, corn looks in excellent condition. But southern Illinois is in need of rain, noted Ted Dement of Kenney, Ill.

 

“We’ve had timely rains in central Illinois but the further you go south, the crops have needed more rain, and they just haven’t gotten it,” he said.

In Iowa, a record number of soybean acres planted this spring are projected to also produce a record soybean harvest this fall, despite challenging growing conditions across large sections of the Midwest. This prediction was made last week by the USDA through its World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates and Crop Production reports.

Iowa corn production is forecast at 2.46 billion bushels, while 53 percent of the crop is reported in good condition, 26 percent is fair and 11 percent is in excellent condition.

Corn in Tennessee is reported as 46 percent in good condition and 37 percent is in excellent condition, while in Ohio, 45 percent is reported as good condition. In Michigan 55 percent of corn is reported as good condition and in Kentucky 67 percent is good.

The corn crop condition in Indiana is reported as 41 percent good and 31 percent fair, with only 11 percent excellent. In the soybean fields, the stands have varied from looking fantastic to some second-crop beans looking as if they just won’t make it, according to Brian Troyer of southern Michigan.

The USDA reported that Indiana beans are 43 percent good and 32 percent fair, while next door in Illinois the beans look a little better on the whole, with 53 percent of the crop reported as good and 24 percent reported as fair.

The bean crop in Kentucky is rated a little higher, with 63 percent of the crop rated as good, and in Tennessee, 50 percent of the soybean crop is rated as good and 25 percent of soybeans are rated in excellent condition.

Wheat harvest is finished in all states in this region except northern Michigan and Indiana, and winter wheat yield is estimated at 78 bushels per acre, 2 bushels above the previous forecast but 3 bushels below last year’s state record. Winter wheat production is forecast at 20.3 million bushels in Indiana.

Pasture conditions look mostly good to excellent across the Midwest, with the exception of Iowa, where 29 percent of farmers’ pastures are rated fair and 23 percent of pasture is rated poor.

Alfalfa harvest in now in third cutting in most areas and in Michigan, peach harvest is in full swing, with pear and apple harvest right around the corner.