Posted: 08.09.2011

Now that temperatures in Wisconsin have taken a turn - farmers remain confident their crops will perform.

The weekly update from the Wisconsin Ag Statistical Service shows 52 percent of corn growers estimate their crop as "good" with 27 percent saying it's "excellent".  The same confidence shines through on soybeans.  55 percent of growers say they've got a "good" crop with 26 percent listing it as "excellent".

One crop that had some challenges in the last week was the Wisconsin hay crop.  With scattered showers popping up throughout the state - trying to harvest and process dry hay was a challenge.  As of Sunday, the state estimated that 95 percent of the second crop harvest was complete, with 34 percent of third crop underway.

All crops are maturing quickly now.  89 percent of the field corn is tassled with 17 percent already in the dough stage - a sign of physiological maturity in the cob on the plant.  89 percent of the soybeans are blooming and 53 percent have already set pods.

Wisconsin's fruit and vegetable crops are coming along too.  Sweet corn harvest is underway for many processing companies - and yields are reportedly very good.  One issue that processing firms may face, however, is that the excessive heat Wisconsin had in July accelerated all sweet corn fields at the same time.  Ultimately that may mean some overly ripe fields get skipped.

Door county's tart cherry harvest is wrapping up with yields running 80-90 percent of normal according to growers.  And cranberry's are setting fruit - getting ready for a colorful fall.

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