Posted: 10.04.2011

With above normal temperatures rolling across Wisconsin this week - it'll be a tough call for some growers to decide whether they visit World Dairy Expo - or stay home and get field work done.

As of Sunday, state officials report that 73 percent of the corn silage harvest had already been completed.  With weather cooperating - degree growing units are remaining ahead of average, allowing the crop to continue maturing.  57 percent of the corn crop was considered mature - 5 percent had been harvested for grain.

Soybean harvesting is slowly picking up too.  State reporters said that 97 percent of the soybean crop had turned color and 74 percent had dropped leaves - all signs of maturity.  As of Sunday, however, only 2 percent of the soybean crop had actually been harvested.

It's not just the corn and soybean crop that's capitalizing on the weather.  The cranberry harvest is underway in Portage and Oneida counties.  Apple orchards were reporting good crowds and good yields.  Some orchards in the Door county area did report that fruit had been knocked off of trees because of severe weather Sept. 29th. 

The grape harvest was half complete in Dane county - and onions, garlic, carrots and winter squash were all being gathered up for winter storage.

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