Minnesota corn harvest reaches 87 percent complete

Published 10:07 am Wednesday, November 13, 2013

ST. PAUL — Minnesota’s corn harvest continues to run ahead of the normal pace after a slow start.

In its weekly crops and weather report for Minnesota, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the state’s corn harvest advanced 14 percentage points last week to 87 percent complete. That’s about a week ahead of normal. Despite winter storms, a statewide average of 4.5 days were suitable for fieldwork.

The USDA last week projected Minnesota’s corn production at 1.33 billion bushels, down just 3 percent from last year’s record harvest.

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Minnesota’s canola harvest is nearly complete at 95 percent. The sunflower harvest remains behind normal but advanced 14 percentage points to 79 percent complete.

As freezing temperatures set in, topsoil moisture supplies are rated 83 percent adequate while subsoil moisture is 75 percent adequate.