Agriculture agent Aerica Bjurstrom says crops are “in pretty good shape” as harvest nears. Area farmers will get a chance to quantify that assessment in the coming weeks. Corn dry down events have been scheduled at Rio Creek Feed Mill in Luxemburg on September 8th and Door County Co-Op in Sturgeon Bay the 15th. Bjurstrom says the dry downs are tailored to the needs of farmers. 

Farmers are encouraged to bring two samples, and they will be processed on-site for free. Corn with around 65% moisture content is considered ready for harvest. Results are available the same day for the Rio Creek event and the day after the dry down in Sturgeon Bay. Bjurstrom says roughly 100 people bring samples between the two days.

Some drawbacks for area farmers this year include too much rain just after planting, which flooded low-lying areas back in May. Kewaunee County has seen some regions get significantly below-average rainfall through the summertime while others are running right at average.