Wintry weather finally arrived to most of Indiana by the end of the week, with rain and snow occurring throughout the State, according to Greg Matli, Indiana State Statistician for the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The statewide average temperature was 46.6 degrees, 4.1 degrees above normal.
Although most of the State received precipitation, it did not alleviate the drought conditions experienced in the South. Statewide precipitation was 0.53 inches, below average by 0.26 inches. There were 6.0 days available for fieldwork for the week ending November 20, down 0.1 days from the previous week.
Only a few scattered fields remain to be harvested for corn and soybeans. Winter wheat plantings have been completed, and most of the crop has emerged. Growers have reported that some of the wheat that has not yet emerged was due to dry conditions after plantings. Wheat conditions declined some this week partially due to ponding in the North and drought in the South. Pastures have gone dormant for the winter months, so livestock is now being supplemented with hay. As farmers completed harvest, they focused their attention on other activities such as spreading lime and fertilizer, planting cover crops, laying tile, doing fall tillage work, testing the soil, cleaning harvest equipment, and hauling grain.