Minnesota Farmers Make Rapid Harvest Progress

ST. PAUL  (AP) - Warm, dry weather has helped Minnesota farmers make rapid progress on the soybean harvest.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's weekly crop weather report for Minnesota, the soybean harvest jumped 32 percentage points to 35 percent complete as of Sunday. That's ahead of last year's pace of 26 percent complete and the five-year average of 29 percent.

Potatoes are 73 percent harvested, nearly equal to last year and the average.

Corn is 80 percent mature - compared with 90 percent last year - while the corn harvest is 6 percent complete, slightly ahead of last year's 4 percent.

Despite light rain across eastern Minnesota early last week, statewide topsoil moisture supplies dropped to 19 percent very short, 35 percent short and 46 percent adequate.

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