You can expect to see farm equipment on the road over the next several weeks as the soybean and corn harvests continue in northeast Wisconsin. Due to the government shutdown, the United States Department of Agriculture is not releasing its weekly crop progress and condition report, which gives a snapshot on the pace and the quality of the harvest. Rio Creek Feed Mill agronomist Adam Barta estimates that about 99 percent of the corn silage harvest and 90 percent of the soybean harvest is complete, with many farmers posting average to above average yields on their crops. Many farms are turning their attention to the corn for grain harvest, which Barta estimates is about 20 percent complete. With farmers watching their dollars and cents due to high costs for fuel and fertilizer and low commodity prices, he hopes Mother Nature helps dry out the corn crop naturally.

Thanks to a few weeks of great weather, Barta adds that farmers in the area are also nearly done with planting cover crops and late cuttings of hay and forages.