Indiana Ag Connection - Indiana Farmers Dealing with Dust

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Indiana Farmers Dealing with Dust
Indiana Ag Connection - 09/29/2020

Another very dry week left fields dusty and pushed corn and soybeans towards maturity, according to USDA NASS, Great Lakes Regional Field Office. Seventy-five percent of Indiana topsoils were rated short or very short last week, an increase of 13 percentage points from the previous week. Subsoil was also incredibly dry with 72 percent of subsoils rated short or very short; an increase of 12 percentage points from last week.

The average temperature for the week was 63.5 degrees Fahrenheit, 2.8 degrees above normal for the State. The amount of rainfall varied from none to 0.08 inches over the week. The statewide average precipitation was 0.02 inches. Most areas of the State had no appreciable rainfall last week. There were 6.9 days suitable for fieldwork for the week ending Sunday.

Another very dry week pushed corn and soybeans towards harvest. Wide scale harvest was anticipated to begin on most farms soon. Excessively dry conditions caused dust concerns and there were scattered reports of combine fires. Hay harvest was wrapping up on most farms. Pasture conditions were suffering due to lack of rain and some farmers provided supplemental hay because pastures were not supporting nutrition needs. Other activities for the week included applying herbicides, planting wheat, preparing equipment for harvest, and harvesting apples.

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