Statewide, 35 percent of the corn was planted.
That's 16 days behind last year and eight days behind the average, according to the latest crop report released Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Sugarbeets were eight days ahead of schedule with 78 percent completed, but there were just a few scattered reports of soybeans in the ground. Beans are typically planted after corn and sugar beets.
According to the report, there were just four days "suitable for field work" last week and less than two suitable days the week before that.
Despite the later start, farmers are "not in a panic state," said Wes Nelson, director of the USDA Farm Service Agency in Kandiyohi County.
Given the cold soil temperatures in April, it would not have done much good to have had the seeds in the soil before now, Nelson said, adding that large equipment is helping farmers quickly make up for any lost time.
Source: www.wctrib.com