Warm weather is helping to push this year’s harvest season along, according to Purdue Extension Agriculture & Natural Resources Educator Phil Woolery. “Things are picking up pretty fast now,” he says. “We’ve had some kind of warm and dry weather that’s helped dry crops down, which has helped speed up harvest on corn and soybeans, helping things mature faster. We had some real warm weather that helped with crops growing faster, as well, so earlier than average harvest start time.”
Woolery says one of the biggest weather challenges this year was a dry spell back in July. “That affected some of the corn, depending on if the farmers had irrigation,” he explains. “But August, September is key time for soybeans, and we got some nice rains in there that helped finish off the soybean crop in our area.” But he says there were some more localized issues, like strong winds that blew down some corn in certain places.
When it comes to household plants, Woolery encourages homeowners to keep an eye on the weather as cooler temperatures approach. He says that when frost approaches, sensitive outdoor plants may be covered, while any tropical house plants should be brought indoors.
