Benton Ag Plus - July 18, 2020

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BENTON AG Plus

PHOTO BY JENNIFER COYNE

Dennis Batcha rakes hay in a ditch July 13 south of Bowlus. Batcha farms near Holdingford.

Serving rural Benton, Morrison, Mille Lacs and Kanabec counties

Sauk Rapids Herald | Saturday, July 18, 2020

exceed historic averages PHOTO SUBMITTED

A look out a pilot’s cockpit on an aerial applicator plane shows crop fields broken up by roadways, buffer strips and bodies of water. Aerial applicator is the preferred term for a profession long known as crop dusting.

Office in the sky Johnson has career in aerial application BY NATASHA BARBER | STAFF WRITER

BY JENNIFER COYNE STAFF WRITER

RICE – Russ and Terry Popp finished planting their corn crop around May 3 this year. In a typical year, they would have just started sowing the seeds. “We have a long way to go yet, and a lot can happen in the next 50 days,” Russ said. “But it has been good so far.” The brothers planted 260 acres of corn for silage and grain this spring for their 220-cow dairy farm near Rice. They also run 210 acres of alfalfa. This year’s field conditions have been favorable for many farmers in central Minnesota as crops were planted early, and the weather has helped propel plants through the growing season. Across the area, more than 80% of the corn crop is in good or excellent condition, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Data shows the last time the crops were fairing this

PHOTO BY JENNIFER COYNE

Terry Popp looks through his corn field July 13 at his farm near Rice. This year’s crop is ahead of schedule because of early planting and hot, dry weather that has propeled plants through the growing season.

well overall was in 2016. other season since the University One indication of a progressive of Minnesota Extension began growing season for corn is growing tracking the measurement in 1961. degree days. This year, GDD have GDD page 3B been consistently higher than any

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SAUK RAPIDS – When Logan Johnson graduated high school, he did not plan to take to the skies. But, after sitting in an office crunching numbers, Johnson traded in his job as an accountant for a seat in the cockpit of an airplane. “I thought accounting would be the safe route, and then I’d fly on the side for fun,” Johnson Logan Johnson said. “But I decided I couldn’t do it (an office job).” Johnson is an aerial applicator at West Central Ag-Air Inc. in Fergus Falls. Johnson page 2B

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