I drove across much of Minnesota today - LaCrosse WI w on I90, N on 52, NW on 94 to North Dakota and was surprised at the state of harvest - or lack of. Much of the drive was in a rain, mist fog, cloudy drizzle.

My windshield estimate is that there were still at least 50% of the beans still in the field, some in obvious standing water or mud. There looked to be at least still 80-90% of the corn along that route that is in the field and almost none of the small fraction of either harvested ground had been worked in any way - maybe 5% of the harvested ground.

With even heavier rain forecast for later in the week and many of these soils seeming to be completely saturated with water it may be a while yet before any significant harvesting can restart, let alone tillage.

I feel for you folks with what was a pretty decent crop still sitting in the field. I believe much of N Iowa & SW MN may be in the same boat.

If you are in this situation at least you do not need to feel you are alone - it covers a WIDE area of very good crop land and I think the markets will have to respond to this situation at some point.

It looks to me that in high clay areas that it is not likely to dry much at all yet this fall and the saving grace for corn anyway may be 15 degree F freezing temps forecast for early next week. Hopefully the ground will freeze hard enough and long enough to put a combine in some fields. Let's all hope for some way to get this crop out and in the bin.

I am amazed at how some folks, knowing there is a wet spot or low end of a field seem to insist on driving through it. It seems like the damage being caused to soils (and sometimes equipment) and the remedial costs are going to be much higher than the bushels if they were to just leave those spots and go around. I do understand that you can not always tell from the combine cab where the wet spots are - but many times, especially in rolling ground, once you find them you can go around. jmho and observations.

Jim at Dawn

IF we could only shift some of this water and weather to you folks in TN and other dry areas....