Posted: 04.06.2010

The spring field activity has gotten more and more noticeable around Wisconsin as the mercury rises.

The first official crop progress report for 2010 in the upper midwest was released on Monday - with limited information, however.  The National Ag Statistics Service showed that across the 9 major oat producing states - including Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa - that 33 percent of the oat crop had already been sown.

That number is approximately 3 percentage points ahead of last years mark - and 2 percentage points ahead of the five-year average.

It also appears that the winter wheat that was seeded last fall has come through the winter in fairly good shape.  Growers across the midwest ranked their wheat crop as 29 percent "fair - 52 percent "good" and 13 percent in the "excellent" category. 

A quick winter in 2009 cut the number of winter wheat acres that farmers were able to seed.

« back to news articles