MN soybeans close to harvest-ready

Minnesota soybeans are beginning to turn yellow and that's actually a good thing. Turning yellow is a milestone in the crop's development, which has lagged partly due to continued cool weather.

In its weekly crop weather report for Minnesota, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday that 2 percent of the state's soybean crop was turning yellow as of Sunday. That's 11 percentage points behind last year and 22 points behind average. Soybean conditions were unchanged at 69 percent good to excellent.

Corn development has also lagged. Fifty-two percent of corn was at or beyond the dough stage, 17 points behind last year and 27 points behind average. Seventy-three percent of the corn crop was in good to excellent condition, unchanged from a week ago.