Karlstad, Minnesota farmer Justin Dagen has most of his crops in the ground. “For the most part, wheat is done, corn is done, canola is done,” Dagen said. “On our farm, we are just in the middle of potatoes; according to the calendar, we’re right on schedule.” Subsoil moisture is good following last year’s heavy rainfall, but recent wind and dry topsoil conditions have slowed emergence and early crop development. Some shallow-seeded crops, including canola and sugarbeets, have also shown wind-related stress and are still being evaluated. “We need some warm temperatures because we’ve had wheat in the ground almost a month and it’s very short yet.”
