BENTON AG Plus
Sauk Rapids Herald | Saturday, November 21, 2020
Serving rural Benton, Morrison, Mille Lacs and Kanabec counties
Farmers confident about favorable fall harvest Benton County growers have potential record-breaking year BY JAKOB KOUNKEL | STAFF WRITER
mitigated snow-laden damages. Lentner is not the only person partaking on an exceptionally good harvest season. Rick Robak, an Oak Park resident who owns 350 acres of farmland and has only one strip of corn left to combine, said this has been a historically good year for farmers like him. Robak, with his wife, Linda, grows corn, soybean, oats and hay, on his beef farm. “This was actually almost a perfect year,” Robak said. “We got the crops in early in a timely fashion, and the crops did good this year. And, we got to harvesting earlier than normal.” Lentner and Robak said the warm summer and favorable precipitation contributed to high-quality yields. Although, Robak was initially concerned the sudden snowfall was an indicator that the weather was too good to be true. “Well, when that snow came, it looked like we’re going to be in the same boat as the last couple years, but
PHOTO BY JAKOB KOUNKEL
Charlie Lenter, who farms with his dad Fred Lentner, holds his youngest son, Chett, 2, as son Chase, 5, leans against harvested corn stalks Nov. 13 at their farm near Oak Park. The Lentners finished harvest with good yields and mostly conducive weather for completing fieldwork.
then it melted,” Robak said. “You’re bundled up, and then you’re wearing a T-shirt.” The early snowfall did create a short-term problem
for both farmers. Corn stalks, bale them, and the added which some farmers use precipitation delayed that as bedding for livestock, process. have to be completely dry before farmers can chop and Harvest page 2B
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FOLEY – As a year unlike any other continues, Benton County’s farmers are likely to look back on this year fondly – at least through the lens of their operations. It has been a good year for farmers like Fred Lentner, who farms 140 acres of corn, soybean and hay, on his 60cow dairy near Oak Park. “This year is pretty good, like, very good,” said Lentner. “Yields are really good. … This would probably be one of your best years in your last five to eight.” Inclement weather seasons over the last few years created problems for farmers across Minnesota. For instance, heavy rain coupled with freezing temperatures made for difficult harvesting seasons in which some farmers were still taking crops out of the ground as late as December. The weather this year, though, was nearly perfect, save for a surprise early snowfall in October that briefly stalled progress – only for Mother Nature to rebound with 70-degree temperatures the next week that mostly
Farm Material Handling Specialist WWW.FLUEGGESAG.COM