These will be vital for a farming season that is generally dry, says Vaughn Maudal, who farms with his family in the Wheaton, Minn., area.
Maudal, 57, and his wife, Julie, raise corn and soybeans. The Vaughns are backed by sons, Cameron, 25, and Carson, 23. (Cameron is full-time as a grain buyer at the Browns Valley, Minn., location for the Wheaton-Dumont Co-Op Elevator. Vaughn is the current board president.)
Vaughn Maudal, 57, of Wheaton, Minn., farms with his wife, Julie, and two grown sons. They also own a trailer sales business. Maudal also is the president of the board of his local elevator cooperative. Photo taken June 19, 2021, near Wheaton, Minn. Mikkel Pates / Agweek
The National Agricultural Statistics Service said the west-central Minnesota area is typical in being relatively dry in need of timely rains. The government report on June 21, 2021, said Minnesota’s corn declined to 50% good to excellent from the previous week’s 58% and soybeans were rated 53% good to excellent, down from 61% the previous week.
With pre-emergence herbicides rendered less effective with early-season hot, dry conditions, Vaughn Maudal of Wheaton, Minn., said the subsequent spraying was more effective. It’s been dry, but he’s thankful for a timely shot of rain his corn and soybeans on June 20, 2021. Photo taken June 19, 2021, near Wheaton, Minn. Mikkel Pates / Agweek
A 1-inch rain across much of north central Minnesota on June 20, 2021, was welcome, but the rains will need to keep coming to offset abnormally dry to severe drought conditions.
Trailers, grain
The Vaughns are busy.
Vaughn Maudal was coming to the end of the first round of soybean weed spraying on June 19, 2021. Dry, hot weather had reduced the effectiveness of pre-emergence herbicides this year. Photo taken June 19, 2021, near Wheaton, Minn. Mikkel Pates / Agweek
Besides farming, for 25 years the Vaughns also have owned and operated Maudal’s Truck & Trailer Sales, Inc. The business is advertised with a trailer placard along U.S. Highway 75, north of Wheaton. The sales company handles many trailer needs, including water and chemical, as well as fitting fertilizer equipment onto flatbeds, and reefers and drop-decks.
Vaughn Maudal and his wife, Julie, and family, run a corn and soybean farm and a trailer sales business at a headquarters that is visible from U.S. Highway 75, north of Wheaton, Minn. Photo taken June 19, 2021, near Wheaton, Minn. Mikkel Pates / Agweek
Wheaton farmers had good tillage conditions in the fall of 2020. Then spring planting in 2021 went quickly.
Wheaton, Minn., is a bustling agricultural town of about 1,400 with a thriving cooperative elevator headquarters and livestock development. Photo taken June 19, 2021, near Wheaton, Minn. Mikkel Pates / Agweek
The Maudals’ planting was completed by late May — earlier than most.
“We were done by the same time we started, a year ago,” Vaughn said. A couple of small rains to establish good stands. He thinks rains have been 2.5 to 3 inches since they planted. There was a bit of frost damage, but not bad.
“Right after that we had a lot of wind,” he said. “Stuff got pretty beat up, but it came out of it.”
Weed pressure has been more than normal.
“Our pre- (emerge) herbicide didn’t work. We didn’t get enough water to activate it.” Maudal raises mostly Roundup-ready corn. The soybeans are Liberty-ready.
The Vaughn Maudal farm raises corn and soybeans and is co-located with a trailer sales and assembly business north of Wheaton, Minn. Photo taken June 19, 2021, near Wheaton, Minn. Mikkel Pates / Agweek
The Maudals and their employees completed the first round of spraying by June 19, 2021.
”The chemical seems to be working good, what’s out there now,” he said. “We’re in good shape. They’ll spray the soybeans in three weeks to a month,” he said.
The farm picked up .4 to .8 inches of rain on June 20, 2021. With that, they’ll likely side-dress 28% nitrogen on the side, to boost production.
“With the markets where they’re at (relatively high) you’re going after ever bushel you can get this year,” he said.
Here are state-by-state summaries of the weekly NASS report from June 21, 2021:
Minnesota
Topsoil is rated short to very short in 72% of the state, up from 64% of the state last week and 10% last year. Subsoil is short in 66% of the state, compared to 8% a year ago.
Corn was rated 50% “good to excellent” and soybeans 53% were at “good to excellent.” Soybean emergence was the same as in 2020, but nine days ahead of average.
Barley was 47% headed, ahead of the 23% five-year average. Dry beans are 96% emerged, about average. About 91% of hay had its first cutting, ahead of 80% average for the date. Spring wheat is 62% headed, up from 23% average. Crop rating categories good-to-excellent were barley at 39%; hay, 22%; oats, 41%; potatoes, 65%; spring wheat, 48%; sugar beets, 69%; and sunflowers 66%.
Pasture and range condition has fared the worst, with 11% rated very poor, 23% poor, 49% fair, 17% good, and 0% excellent.
North Dakota
Topsoil is rated 31% very short, 41% short, 27% adequate and 1% surplus. Subsoil is 44% very short, 35% short, 20% adequate and 1% surplus.
Soybeans were only 23% good to excellent, with 12% rated very poor and 23% poor. Soybean emergence was ahead of last year and the five-year average.
Corn condition is 5% very poor, 15% poor, 26% fair and 19% good.
Spring wheat was 19% good to excellent, with 50% rated poor or very poor. Heading at 18% is ahead of the 13% five-year average for this date.
Other crop percentages rated “good to excellent” — durum, 51% good to excellent, with 38% jointed, compared to 58% average; winter wheat, 14% good to excellent, with 55% headed, compared to 61% average; canola, 19% good to excellent, with 8% blooming, compared to 13% average; barley 16% good to excellent, with 17% headed, compared to 12% average.
Sugar beets are 63% good to excellent.
South Dakota
Topsoil moisture is rated short or very short in 88% of the state, with 39% of the state “very short.” Subsoil is 84% short to very short. Corn condition was 34% good to excellent, with 17% poor to very poor.
Soybeans were 33% good to excellent. About 97% of soybeans had emerged, compared to the 85% average for five years.
Winter wheat conditions were 54% poor to very poor, with only 12% good to excellent. Spring conditions were 39% poor or very poor, and only 5% good to excellent. About 64% of spring wheat was headed, compared to an average of 46%.
Montana
Topsoil moisture conditions were 57% short to very short, compared to 46% the previous week and 31% for the five-year average. Subsoil moisture is 54% short to very short, compared to the five-year average of 32%
The state’s crop ratings in the “good to excellent” categories, compared to five-year averages were: barley, 51% good to excellent, average 70%; corn, 20%, average 70%; dry peas, 55%, average 56%; durum, 81%, average 37%; lentils, 57%, average 51%; spring wheat, 43%, compare to 61% average; winter wheat, 43%, compared to 67% average.
Sugar beets are ranked 56% good to excellent, compared to a 70% average for the date.
Pasture and range is 16% good and 0% excellent, compared to a five-year average of 60% in good to excellent categories. About 18% of the first hay cutting was complete. About 50% of winter wheat was headed compared to 62% average for the date.
Iowa
Topsoil moisture ratings are 36% adequate to surplus, compared to 92% last year. Subsoil moisture is 31% adequate to surplus, compared to 93% last year.
Corn is rated 56% good to excellent 7 percentage points below last week.
Soybeans declined to 57% good to excellent an were 96% emerged, one week ahead of the five-year average. About 7% were blooming, also a week ahead of normal.
The Link LonkJune 22, 2021 at 05:10AM
https://www.agweek.com/business/7083113-Crops-are-dry-interrupted-by-hit-and-miss-rains
Crops are dry, interrupted by hit-and-miss rains - AG Week
https://news.google.com/search?q=dry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment