Minnesota crops doing well overall despite dry pockets

It’s been a bit like rainfall bingo this summer in Minnesota.

Precipitation has been spotty with some areas doing quite well and some dry pockets. But overall crops are doing well in Minnesota according to Monday’s latest Minnesota Crop Report.

Here are some highlights from Monday’s report.

• 63 percent of Minnesota’s corn crop is in good (52 percent) to excellent (11 percent) condition.

• 66 percent of Minnesota’s soybean crop is in good (55 percent) to excellent condition (11 percent)

• 82 percent of Minnesota’s wheat crop is in good (74 percent) to excellent (eight percent) condition.

Here’s more detail from Monday’s Minnesota Crop Report.

Minnesota had 6.0 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending July 31, 2022, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Dry conditions continued across much of the state. Topsoil moisture supplies were rated 8 percent very short, 20 percent short, 66 percent adequate, and 6 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies were rated 5 percent very short, 19 percent short, 71 percent adequate, and 5 percent surplus.

Corn silking was at 75 percent, 5 days behind the 5- year average. Corn dough reached 13 percent. Corn condition was 2 percent very poor, 5 percent poor, 30 percent fair, 52 percent good, and 11 percent excellent.

Soybeans blooming or beyond reached 81 percent, 5 days behind average. Soybeans setting pods reached 36 percent. Soybean condition was 1 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 29 percent fair, 55 percent good, and 11 percent excellent.

Oats were 98 percent headed, 75 percent coloring, and 16 percent harvested. Oat condition was 1 percent very poor, 5 percent poor, 30 percent fair, 53 percent good, and 11 percent excellent.

Spring wheat was 100 percent headed and 45 percent coloring. Spring wheat condition was 0 percent very poor, 0 percent poor, 18 percent fair, 74 percent good, and 8 percent excellent.

Barley was 98 percent headed, 48 percent coloring, and 4 percent harvested. Barley condition was 0 percent very poor, 1 percent poor, 31 percent fair, 62 percent good, and 6 percent excellent.

Some beneficial rainfall

Several locations picked up beneficial rainfall in the past week. Multi-inch rainfall hit southeast Minnesota once again in the past week. Several locations in central Minnesota west of the Twin Cities picked up a valuable one to two inches of rain in the past week.

Much of northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin picked up significant rainfall Sunday night.

Patchy rainfall again this week

Overall rainfall coverage looks spotty again in the coming week. Here’s the European model precipitation output into next Monday. Many areas could see less than an inch of rainfall, with some areas seeing one to more than two inches in the next week.

This kind of patchwork rainfall pattern is pretty typical for scattered summer convective systems.