The weather has gone back to feeling like November, but last weekend’s warmer temperatures were a welcome sight for farmers in Door and Kewaunee Counties. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Wisconsin Crop Progress Report released earlier this week showed farmers 6.7 days suitable for fieldwork thanks to temperatures in the 70s and very little precipitation. It allowed for the corn harvest and soybean harvest to stay about four weeks ahead of last year. It also allowed cover crops planted an extra opportunity to emerge and stake a stronger claim to the soil. Cornette Dairy co-owner Paul Cornette says the burst of summer was important for his fields in Brown and Kewaunee counties.

Unlike some farmers in the area, Cornette plants his cover crops with a broadcast spreader similar to when people fertilize their yards. The former agronomist says it makes the conservation strategy more time and cost-efficient for him and other operators looking to add cover crops to their field’s plans. While some of the cover crops are used strictly for conservation purposes, Cornette says some of it will be used for straw and forage. Farmers may not be able to rely on Mother Nature for another boost as temperatures will struggle to hit 50 degrees over the next 10 days.

Picture taken by Peninsula Pride Farms at event held earlier this year