MONROE - Combines in fields are a sign of fall in Green and Lafayette counties.
Local farmers had a difficult time this year with the late start to the planting season, excessive rain and a few weeks of dry weather. Now, they can get into the fields to harvest corn and soybeans before the weather turns cold.
According to the Wisconsin Ag Statistical Service, as of Sunday, corn maturity was at 91 percent and the corn silage harvest was at 96 percent. Growers report that 31 percent of the corn looked "fair," 41 percent said it looked "good" and 11 percent said it looked "excellent."
Reports also indicated that 63 percent of soybeans in Wisconsin have been harvested.
Local farm service officials say farmers still have a way to go before they're finished with the fall harvest.
Teresa Zimmer, Green County Farm Service Agency director, said there's still a lot of soybeans in the field around the county.
"They've harvested a lot, but there's still a lot to do," she said.
Brad Lancaster from the Lafayette County Farm Services Agency said he's seen a lot of soybeans in fields.
"I would make that my number one priority if I was a farmer," he said.
Lancaster said soybeans need to be harvested before they get too moist. Once they get wet, he said, it's hard to get them to dry.
"If they (soybeans) get too cold, they'll shatter in the combine and you'll lose a lot of the crop," he said.
Farmers may be a few days behind in their corn harvest, but that can be made up with a few extra hours in the field. However, the corn crop isn't drying as fast as farmers would like, Lancaster said.
"It's going to take more fuel to dry them," he said.
Extra fuel will mean less profit for farmers, he added.
"Four-dollar corn sounds good, but with the added costs this year the bottom line could be pretty tight," Lancaster said.
Local farmers had a difficult time this year with the late start to the planting season, excessive rain and a few weeks of dry weather. Now, they can get into the fields to harvest corn and soybeans before the weather turns cold.
According to the Wisconsin Ag Statistical Service, as of Sunday, corn maturity was at 91 percent and the corn silage harvest was at 96 percent. Growers report that 31 percent of the corn looked "fair," 41 percent said it looked "good" and 11 percent said it looked "excellent."
Reports also indicated that 63 percent of soybeans in Wisconsin have been harvested.
Local farm service officials say farmers still have a way to go before they're finished with the fall harvest.
Teresa Zimmer, Green County Farm Service Agency director, said there's still a lot of soybeans in the field around the county.
"They've harvested a lot, but there's still a lot to do," she said.
Brad Lancaster from the Lafayette County Farm Services Agency said he's seen a lot of soybeans in fields.
"I would make that my number one priority if I was a farmer," he said.
Lancaster said soybeans need to be harvested before they get too moist. Once they get wet, he said, it's hard to get them to dry.
"If they (soybeans) get too cold, they'll shatter in the combine and you'll lose a lot of the crop," he said.
Farmers may be a few days behind in their corn harvest, but that can be made up with a few extra hours in the field. However, the corn crop isn't drying as fast as farmers would like, Lancaster said.
"It's going to take more fuel to dry them," he said.
Extra fuel will mean less profit for farmers, he added.
"Four-dollar corn sounds good, but with the added costs this year the bottom line could be pretty tight," Lancaster said.