Winter Storm Brings Indiana Growing Season to a Close

Wintry conditions limited fieldwork and brought harvest to a close, according to Greg Matli, Indiana State Statistician for the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. A winter storm towards the end of the week moved across the state bringing moderate snowfall and rain, with reports of up to 6 inches of snow accumulation and localized flooding in areas that received the rain.

There were 4.1 days suitable for fieldwork this week, down 1.3 days from last week. Much of the winter wheat has been covered with a fresh blanket of insulating snow cover. Conditions of the wheat crop remain favorable at 69% in good
to excellent condition, up from last week. Farmers continued to wrap up fall tillage on coarse soils before the ground freezes. With the arrival of winter,most of the livestock are being supplemented with hay or other feedstuffs.
The wet weather kept farmers out of the fields and working on equipment and hauling corn to elevators. Other activities keeping farmers busy included laying tile, spreading lime and fertilizer, taking soil samples, preparing financial information, and preparing equipment and facilities for winter.

By region, winter wheat emerged was 99% in the North, 96% in Central, and 97% in the South.