The nearly ideal weather last week allowed harvest to kick off for some producers, according to Greg Matli, State Statistician, USDA, NASS, Indiana Field Office. Warm temperatures with little rainfall were conducive to harvest for those growers with crops ready for the combine. Growers not beginning harvest last week were anticipated to begin soon. The weather was also excellent for hay harvest. The average temperature for the week was 69.6 degrees, 2.4 degrees above normal for the State. The amount of rainfall varied from none to 0.28 inches during the week. The statewide average precipitation was 0.15 inches. There were 4.9 days available for fieldwork for the week ending September 16.
Last week was an excellent week for harvest. Growers continued to harvest hay, processing vegetables, silage, seed corn and began corn and soybean harvests. There was some reported flooding along the Ohio River. Several hundred acres of crops in Spencer County were under water. That flooding was due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon.