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According to the Minnesota Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), harvested corn in the state increased from 28 percent as of Sunday, Oct. 15, to 52 percent as of Sunday, Oct. 22. Soybeans in the state were 95 percent harvested as of Sunday, Oct. 15, according to the NASS.

Nearly a third of the soybean crop in the state was harvested from Sunday, Oct. 8, to Sunday, Oct. 15.

Curt Wegner combined corn in a field east of Paynesville on Monday, Oct. 23. According to state statistics, nearly a quarter of the corn crop was harvested last week, with more than half of the corn crop now harvested. Wegner, who helps his son Tim with field work said they have a few fields of corn left to combine and a few second-growth beans and should finish this week.

Nearly a quarter of the corn crop was harvested last week, increasing the percentage of corn harvested from 28 percent to 52 percent.

Both the corn and soybean harvests are ahead of last year's pace and ahead of the five-year average.

Curt Wegner, who helps his son Tim farm a couple thousand acres of land around Paynesville, said they should be done harvesting this week. They have a few fields of corn to harvest and some beans that grew again after the late rains.

Yields have been "spotty," said Wegner, depending heavily on the soil type and subsoil moisture.

Despite the long dry spells this summer, the NASS is reporting better than expected yields in the state. The October 1 corn yield for the state was forecasted at 166.0 bushels per acre by NASS, up two bushels per acre from September. This is down slightly from last year's record yield of 174.0 bushels per acre.

The state corn crop, though, is now forecasted at 1.13 billion bushels, up 63.1 million bushels from last year.

The state soybean crop is now forecasted at 304.5 million bushels, up 16.5 million bushels from the September forecast and down 1.5 million bushels from last year.

For the United States, the corn crop is now forecasted at 10.9 billion bushels, which, if realized, would be the second largest on record (behind 2004). The soybean crop is forecasted at 3.19 billion bushels, which, if realized, would be the largest yield on record.