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| Big Soybean Harvest Gains |
A break in the weather finally allowed Illinois farmers to make substantial progress with their soybean harvest.
After consecutive weeks of rainy weather, the USDA reports that precipitation in the state last week averaged just one-one hundredth of an inch. The result was 6.2 days suitable for work in the fields, and brightly lit combines rolling after dark were a common site as producers harvested late into the night.
USDA crop statistician Brad Schwab says farmers are trying to catch-up.
"The corn crop ended the week with 97-percent in the mature stage, compared to 100 percent one-year ago, and harvest now at 31 percent, advanced by 12 percentage points from the previous week." Schwab said. "However, we're still well short of the 78 percent average one year ago, and 92 percent harvest progress five-year average."
The corn harvest advanced to 24 percent in western Illinois, a gain of 11 percentage points. The southwest district leads the state with corn there 83 percent harvested.
It was a good week for the soybean harvest, which advanced from 35 percent two weeks ago to 69 percent at the end of last week. Farmers in western Illinois made huge gains - from 22 percent to 65 percent over a seven-day stretch. Eastern Illinois leads the state with 81 percent of the bean crop harvested.
The condition of the state's corn crop is rated at 65 percent good or excellent and the soybean rating is 59 percent.
Warmer temperatures and breezy conditions last week also helped. The USDA says the average temperature was 50.7 degrees, which was five degrees above normal. |
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| 11 14 09 by Newsroom |
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