Do not be surprised if you see area feed mills buzzing with activity in the coming weeks as winter wheat matures enough to be harvested. According to the USDA Crop Progress and Condition Report, winter wheat was 96% colored and 29% harvested as of last week. That is 10 percentage points ahead of the five-year average.
Oats are also coming off the fields at a fast clip, with 70% colored compared to the five-year average of 66%. As a result, 10% of the oat crop has been harvested.
The second cutting of alfalfa is about four percentage points ahead of the five-year average, with 86% complete compared to 82%. The third cutting is 12% complete.
A big reason for the progress is the weather, despite smoky conditions that made outdoor work difficult. Farmers had 6.6 days suitable for fieldwork, which has been good for making progress but has also contributed to crops beginning to show signs of stress because of the lack of recent precipitation.
Corn silking is about three percentage points behind the usual pace at 23% complete compared to the five-year average of 26%. Soybeans, however, are blooming ahead of schedule at 62% compared to the average of 54%.
