Week of April 27, 2026 Local, professional reports straight from the field,
from all regions serviced by Ag Partners.
Meet this week’s featured Agronomists & AYS Specialists:
Le Sueur, MN
Goodhue, MN
Stewartville, MN
Ellsworth, WI
MINNESOTA – WEST
Belle Plaine – Le Center – Le Sueur – Morristown – Traverse
This recent moisture has been welcomed with open arms for those that managed to get some preplant fertilizer spread, chemicals sprayed, or even had some crops planted. While we wait for the ground to dry out, it’s important to keep in mind that “fit is better than early.” We are all going to be in a hurry to get planting once things do start to dry out but jumping the gun instead of waiting an extra day or two can haunt us for the rest of the season with sidewall compaction. Giving the ground an extra day to dry after working it can quite literally pay dividends.
In addition, growers should keep an eye on soil temperatures as well as moisture—cool, saturated soils can slow germination and early emergence, leading to uneven stands. Residue levels and soil type will also play a role in how quickly fields become fit, so patience may need to vary from field to field. As conditions improve, taking the time to double-check planter settings and seed depth in those first fields can help ensure a strong, uniform start across the entire operation. – Easton
MINNESOTA – EAST
Goodhue – Kenyon – Lake City – Pine Island – Wanamingo
Having some Frosty days? What to remember about freeze damage:
- Patience is a virtue… flag plants, take pictures, call us…
- Temperatures must remain at-or-below freezing for at least a couple of hours to cause damage.
- Lethal cold temperatures for corn and soybean is at or below 28 F.
- Wait three to five days before assessing the damage.
- Surviving corn plants should be showing new leaf tissue, expanding from the whorls.
- Surviving soybean plants will show new leaves emerging from one or more of the uppermost undamaged nodes.
- The dead plants will still look dead.
- Yield hits or replanting decisions are from the stand loss, not the leaf damage.
“There’s a big difference between winging it and seeing what happens. Now let’s see what happens.” and “Remember, I’m pulling for ya. We’re all in this together!” – Tyrell
MINNESOTA – SOUTH
Elgin – Lewiston – Stewartville
Monday’s rain stalled field progress for a few days but the second half of this week is busy as we start to ramp up again! It looks like we have a good stretch of weather coming up and we anticipate most of the corn and soybeans being finished up in the next couple of weeks when field conditions are fit. Planting progress is all over the board in southeast Minnesota with some finishing up after a good push last week, while others are just getting started. It is important to keep an eye on emergence in the next few weeks after the cold spell and heavy rains experienced in some areas. If you haven’t planted yet, it is still important to continue using starter fertilizer into May. Having a balanced starter mix can help combat the cooler soil temps and help the corn emerge faster and more uniform. Hope you have a good rest of the spring season! – Kjersten
WESTERN WISCONSIN
Durand – Ellsworth – New Richmond – Osseo
Things are progressing in western Wisconsin. We have had some beans going in the ground and even a few patrons decided to plant corn. We received a soaking rain on Monday the 27th across the trade territory. As of Thursday, the ground temperature was still below 45 degrees at 9 am. As the calendar turns to May we are getting ready to see a lot of acres go into the ground. As the ground conditions permit please stay in touch with your local Ag Partners Agronomist to help assure that the products you need to keep rolling are delivered and applied in a timely manner.
I would also like to recognize the hard work that the Ag Partners operation team puts in at this time of the year. The plant operators, truck drivers, applicators, and all the staff deliver services in sometimes not so ideal conditions and endure long hours, 7 days a week. These people are critical to your and Ag Partners success. When you have the opportunity please take time to thank them. Thank you to all the patrons that entrust us to get the job done for you. Happy planting and have a safe spring! – Al
