Harvests in Michigan exceed normal levels

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Harvests in Michigan exceed normal levels

Sporadic and excessive rainfall brought field operations to a halt in many parts of Michigan last week.

Mark Senk, president of the Michigan Soybean Committee, tells Brownfield that the situation on his farm in the central part of the state is manageable.

“We’ve had plenty of rain, so not too much in my area,” he says. “I know sometimes if you don’t go far from our farms you can see standing water and some fields, but pretty much everything on my farm in my neighborhood looks pretty good.”

AUDIO: Mark Senk

According to the USDA, 96 percent of soybeans have emerged and 13 percent are in flower, both more than last year, with 59 percent of the crop being good to excellent.

Winter wheat in Michigan is rated 75 percent good to excellent, 44 percent mature and three percent harvested, which is above last year and the five-year average.

Corn is rated as good to excellent at 73 percent, while sugar beet reaches 80 percent.

Dry beans are 96 percent planted, 88 percent emerged and 63 percent are rated good to excellent. Alfalfa first cut is 85 percent complete and second cut is at 16 percent.

In the south and central parts of the state, the harvest of tart cherries, peaches and blueberries is underway. Michigan’s vegetable growers are harvesting several different crops, some earlier than normal.