Warm, dry weather speeds corn planting

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ST. PAUL — Warm, dry weather gave Minnesota farmers nearly ideal fieldwork conditions for most of the past week.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s weekly crop weather report for Minnesota on Monday, statewide average temperatures were more than 5 degrees above normal and 6.2 days were suitable for fieldwork.

As a result, corn planting quickly advanced, and soybean planting got under way despite weekend showers.

The corn crop is now 63 percent planted, a 50-point jump from a week earlier, 29 points above last year and 47 points above the five-year average.

Soybean planting is 4 percent complete, compared with 2 percent last year and a 1 percent average.

Spring wheat is 87 percent planted, while sugarbeets are 87 percent planted.

Tags: state and region, daily updates, farming, agriculture