In a report given on Minnesota Public Radio this morning...the headline is "Farmers are seeing lots of green".
A few notes...35% of Minnesota's corn crop is in excellent condition. Only one other year dating back to 1986 was better, in 1994, when 43% of our corn was excellent... in 1986 it was 35% excellent.
Soybeans are 25% excellent.
The state's best crop currently is barley, 36% rated excellent. Barley is being harvested now in small amounts, plus sweet corn.
It's early to predict but we are on track to set records. "Rain makes grain" and that's what has taken place in 2010.
We also are having what some say is a bumper crop of bugs... stories are being circulated about exploding insect populations. In SW MN, the "earwig" bug is growing in numbers. They are crawlers about a 1/2 inch long...they can get into houses and crawl around on the floor. Experts say the bug is harmless, if not gross.
Back to the WCROC centennial...
In this 5+ minute clip, the topic of the money in agriculture is discussed, including the U.S. "cheap food" policy and also the power of large agribusiness in the marketplace. At about the 4:00 mark, a member of the crowd brings up agriculture's "wealth distribution problem" - this all took place at the West Central Research and Outreach Center's centennial celebration in Morris, MN on July 16, 2010.
Below, George Boody talks about agricultural diversity.
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