Posted: 10.05.2010

The numbers just keep adding up to an early, bountiful harvest for Wisconsin farmers.

The cranberry crop looks large, and of great quality - and dry weather's allowing hay making to continue according to the Wisconsin Ag Statistical Service.

As of Sunday, statewide, 23 percent of the soybean crop was harvested and 19 percent of the corn used for grain was off the fields.  With the rapid pace of the harvest so far along this early - even Wisconsin farmers are asking for cooperation on busy roadways.

Jerry Bradley, a Sun Prairie crop producer, tells Pam Jahnke that even his father can't remember getting this early a start on the harvest.  Bradley says yields look good, and the quality is there.  So is the traffic that shares the roadway with Bradley large harvesting equipment.

"Pam, we're like everybody else,"  Bradley says, "we really don't want to be on the highway with our equipment but that's the only way we can get from one field to another.  We've got our lights flashing, and we're traveling slow - we just ask people to be careful.  We don't want to be out there any longer then we have to be, but please give us a little room because we are big."

Bradley says people might be surprised at how large that farm equipment is compared to their car or SUV.  Bradley's farm has a 25 foot grain platform that's used to harvest soybeans.  In an effort to minimize traffic issues, Bradley "trailers" his grain platform (puts it on a semi flatbed).  Some grain platforms may be as large as 35 feet. 

Bradley says he does believe that many people understand what's going on and why giving space to farm equipment is necessary.  "We really appreciate the courtesy - and we'll get off the road as soon as we can."

In Wisconsin there are some crops not coming out of the fields so quickly.  The Wisconsin Ag Statistical Service said Ginseng fields in Lincoln county are still battling drenched fields from heavy rainfall two weeks ago.  That root crop can't be dug until things dry out.

« back to news articles