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Downpour briefly halts area field work

By Lori Ehde
Field work that was just starting to pick up pace last week was halted by the weekend's downpour and subsequent flooding.

By this time last year, many local farmers had already finished planting corn and were started on beans.

According to Rock County Extension Educator Fraser Norton, by April 30 last year, 75 percent of Rock County's corn was planted and 20 percent of the soybeans were in.

"Last year was an exceptional planting year," he said Tuesday.

Compared with that, it may seem we're getting a late start on field work this year, but he said that's definitely not the case.

"It's still not a crisis at all," he said, adding the short-term forecast calls for several days of warm, dry weather. "They'll probably be back in the field by the end of the week."

Norton said a later spring planting also has its advantages. "When they do get into the fields, the soil will be nice and warm, so the plants will grow faster," he said.

According to planting records for this area, corn begins to lose 1-percent yield potential if planted after May 1. Soybeans start to lose yield potential after the first week in May.

"Having said that, we're not advising people to change anything until after May 25," Norton said. "There's nothing to panic about."

He said yield loss predictions are only general averages, and the growing season has more effect on yield than late planting.

"If we have a good growing season, we'll have record yields, no problem," Norton said. "We could get a late frost in the fall, which would allow a longer growing season."

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