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CROP AND WEATHER REPORT
For the Monthly Report Ending June 18, 2025
GENERAL COMMENTS & WEATHER: Since our previous report in mid-May, the weather has not been ideal for early crop development and emergence. The cool, dry, and windy conditions held on just a little too long and the corn and soybean crops remained short and pale. The temperatures have risen since the end of May and we started to receive rainfall that is more typical of a Southwestern Minnesota (SWMN) spring. With the crop being planted earlier than normal, this has extended the growing season. It also extended the growing season for the weeds, which are proving to be resilient this year. Overall, the corn and soybean crops are looking really good at this time.
Precipitation has ranged from 3.1 to 7.6 inches during the past month. A few scattered thunderstorms brought much of the rainfall, with amounts varying from zero to 2 inches. Scattered is the key word with totals varying greatly across the different counties. Thankfully, we have avoided the flooding storms that have hit Minnesota just a few hours to the north of us. Most rainfall we have seen have come from 0.5–1.5 inches at a time. These levels are ideal as it is not enough to cause crop loss due to ponding.
Figure 1 – This is a photo of an applicator applying nitrogen fertilizer to the corn.
Most field operations in the past couple of weeks have been completed between the wind gusts and rain showers. The wind has almost limited field activities more than water this year, which is not normally the case. We submitted a couple of replanting claims for crop insurance coverage and we will let you know if your fields were affected. Those fields have already been inter-seeded and we will process the insurance claims when they become available.
Temperatures have been like a rollercoaster over the last month. Daily high temps ranged from 48 to 95 degrees and daily lows from 39 to 62 degrees. Through June 16th, we are at a cumulative 589 Growing Degree Days (GDD), compared to the historical average of 619 GDD, according to the Southwestern Minnesota Research and Outreach Center (SWROC) in Lamberton, MN. Topsoil and subsurface moisture levels are slightly below historical averages, but recent rain events will help get us back to “normal.”
Figure 2 – Above is a photo of corn that was sandblasted by 70+ mph winds. The growing point was not affected so the plant will grow out of this.
CORN: The corn planting in Minnesota is complete and has 98% emergence. The USDA has Minnesota’s corn condition rating at 75% good to excellent; this is 3% higher than the overall United States rating. There is a wide range of variability in the corn at this point in the season as is typical. Planting dates spanned the month of April, resulting in some corn that is approaching “knee high” and some that is only six inches tall. The heat we are receiving this week will really have the plants growing at a rapid rate, and we will see fields even out. Some farmers are still applying nitrogen in-season as a way to combat any potential loss due to environmental factors. If there are any shortfalls in a nitrogen program, they will begin to show up as yellowing in the fields.
The farmers have completed herbicide applications, but unfortunately, we are starting to see some resistance and need another mode of action. This could result in another round of herbicide on some acres. It also stresses the importance of spraying weeds when they are small and the conditions are right, which was challenging during the cool weather through late May. Most of the field operations for corn, except for maybe ridge-till cultivating and applying some fungicides, are now complete until harvest.
SOYBEANS: Soybean planting in Minnesota is also 100% complete, with 94% emerged. This is not only 6% higher than the five-year average, it is 10% higher than the national average. The soybeans in Minnesota are rated 74% good to excellent. Nationally, 70% of the soybeans are rated good to excellent.
As previously mentioned, soybean emergence struggled in a few areas this year. Cold and dry soils followed by rain with heat created a crust in some soil types. This crust makes it difficult for seedlings to break out of the ground. Fields that saw 60-75% emergence had to have additional seed spiked in next to the existing soybeans. This will give the field the most potential for yield this harvest. Thankfully we have seen rain at decent intervals so our pre-emerge herbicide has done a great job at keeping weeds at bay. The second round of applications have already begun. Looking forward, we are most likely expecting a third application will be necessary before the soybeans can create a canopy to crowd out any weed development.
Figure 3 – Weed control has been especially difficult in areas that drowned out last year. The weeds that were able to go on to produce seed later in the season have created abundant pressure in these areas this year.
REMARKS: Geopolitical events have taken most of the headlines around the world lately, and the agriculture sector is no different. Even though the grain markets have not seen big swings lately, everyone is closely watching the Middle East. Oil price is the largest concern in regards to commodity markets. After Israel and Iran started to engage militarily, oil prices increased substantially, which has a positive impact on ethanol prices and corn price. In other world news, the U.S. and China have struck some trade deals, none with corn or soybeans, but the fact that they are working together is a positive sign. The U.S. recently increased the biofuel mandate, which has bumped up soybean prices.
Current cash pricing for old crop corn (New Vision Coop – Brewster Terminal) is around $4.18 per bushel while new crop harvest delivery is at $4.04 per bushel. The 2024 crop soybeans are around $9.95 per bushel with new crop prices about even at $9.94 per bushel.
The USDA monthly Supply & Demand Report released on June 12th has ending stocks of U.S. corn at an estimated 1.750 billion bushels for the 2025 crop, down slightly from last month’s projection of 1.800 billion bushels. Production and use amounts were left unchanged at 15.460 billion bushels from last month. For soybeans, USDA left ending stocks unchanged at 295 million bushels. Soybean production use was also left unchanged for the 2025 crop.
There continues to be multiple tasks being completed here at Fairland. The farm managers have been monitoring the fields and working together with the tenants and agronomists to evaluate soil conditions, plant stands, and weed pressure/control. There has been some activity with planting native seed and weed control in land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). We are processing acreage certifications with the FSA and crop insurance agents, as well as filing replant claims. The accounting staff continues to work on projections, cash-flows, and processing payments for crop inputs and depositing checks for grain sales. It has been a busy and productive start to summer!
Figure 4 – Aerial application by drone is now available in SWMN. Although we most likely will not see this application take over traditional spraying, there is a spot in the marketplace for this new technology. In speaking with one operator, fungicide applications in mature corn and weed control measures in pastures have been great business opportunities.
Growing-Degree Days
| May 1, 2025 to DATE INDICATED | TOTAL GROWING DEGREE DAYS | DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL | |
| LOCATION Lamberton |
June 15, 2025 | 573 | -28 |
Corn Growing Degree Days are calculated by subtracting a 50 degree base temperature from the average of the maximum and minimum temperature for the day. The daily maximum is limited to 86 degrees and the minimum is 50 degrees.
Grain Markets (June 18, 2025)
| New Vision-Windom | Magnolia | POET Ethanol-Bingham Lake | Minnesota Soybean Processors- Brewster | |
| Cash-Corn | 4.20 | 4.08 | 4.18 | N/A |
| Cash-Soybeans | 9.96 | 9.98 | N/A | 10.37 |
| October-2025-Corn | 4.09 | 4.07 | 4.14 | N/A |
| October-2025-Soybeans | 9.94 | 10.04 | N/A | 10.28 |
Rainfall (Inches):
| County | City | May 15 – June 18, 2025 | March 15 to date-2025 | March 15 to date-2024 |
| Cottonwood | Jeffers | 3.7 | 7.6 | 16.3 |
| Cottonwood | Windom | 4.2 | 9.6 | 14.3 |
| Jackson | Heron Lake | 4.0 | 9.5 | 20.2 |
| Jackson | Jackson | 5.5 | 10.1 | 19.4 |
| Martin | Trimont | 7.6 | 12.4 | 17.7 |
| Murray | Fulda | 3.1 | 8.0 | 18.9 |
| Murray | Slayton |
3.2 |
7.1 | 13.2 |
| Nobles | Round Lake | 6.1 | 11.5 | 19.8 |
| Nobles | Rushmore | 4.7 | 9.6 | 19.9 |
| Rock | Magnolia | 5.8 | 9.8 | 18.9 |
| Watonwan | Darfur | 4.7 | 9.7 | 19.0 |
Cody Adrian
Farm Management Advisor
Real Estate Salesperson