Rainfall helps along local crops

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Thursday, June 5, 2008

Rainfall was welcome Monday by farmers in Otter Tail County. In this area and across the state, development of corn and soybeans is behind schedule due to late planting this year.

“We really needed rain to get the soybeans germinated,” said Dan Jennen, who farms with his son, Philip, west of Fergus Falls. “We’re really dry here (western Otter Tail County). Rain always helps to get things started.”

Adequate rainfall for one farmer may not be the case for another farmer, even only a few miles away.

“Rainfall can really be hit and miss,” Dan Jennen said. “When it comes to farming, so many factors are involved — not the least of which are adequate rainfall and warm growing days.”

A report from the Minnesota office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture released Monday said farmers planted 65 percent of the soybean crop in the past two weeks. As of Sunday, corn planting was 98 percent complete.

The corn crop is 72 percent emerged, down from a historical average of 90 percent for this time of year.

As for soybeans, the crop is 90 percent planted compared to the five-year average of 88 percent for this time of year. However, the crop is 33 percent emerged, 20 percentage points lower than the historical average of 53 percent, according to the Associated Press.

There were five days suitable for fieldwork last week and the average temperature was nearly 58 degrees, or about three degrees below average. Topsoil moisture supplies were rated adequate across 83 percent of the state.