Indiana soybeans are 52% harvested, behind the national pace of 61%. Indiana corn is 34% harvested, also behind the national pace of 41%.
Dry weather returned last week with much of the State seeing very little, if any, rainfall, according to USDA NASS, Great Lakes Regional Field Office. The northern, central, and southern parts of the State all saw precipitation levels well below normal. Soil moisture levels decreased significantly from the previous week, with 75 percent of topsoil moisture reported as short or very short.
The average temperature for the week was 60.7 degrees Fahrenheit, 4.9 degrees above normal for the State. The amount of rainfall varied from none to 0.50 inches over the week. The statewide average precipitation was 0.08 inches. There were 6.7 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending October 11.
The unusually dry conditions allowed farmers to make significant progress with corn and soybean harvests and helped push the later planted crops into maturity. The dry weather, however, also caused concern for winter wheat emergence and fall forage conditions. While winter wheat planted was ahead of the five- year average, the lack of moisture kept winter wheat emergence behind schedule. Pasture conditions also declined from the previous week, with reports of some producers feeding hay earlier than normal. Other activities for the week included hauling grain, testing crop moisture content, planting cover crops, and taking soil samples.