Planting ahead of schedule - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

LA CROSSE, WI (WXOW) - Corn and soybean planting is ahead of schedule because of the dry and mild weather this past week.

Above average rainfall earlier this month drastically improved topsoil moisture, but it also kept farmers from their fields. Now, dry conditions and warm temperatures are giving many farmers a head start to the planting season.

Yesterday, the US department of agriculture reported 90% of the Iowa corn crop had been planted already, a full 10% more than the five year average. And in Minnesota, 44% of the soybean crop has been planted, compared to only 7% last year.

The weather has also been beneficial on a smaller scale. Todd Huffman, Coordinator for the La Crosse Community Garden said this spring had the earliest radish harvest he could remember. The garden is hoping to have many more radish harvests by the end of the growing season.