Around the Upper Midwest, farmers are gearing up for long days in the field on the eve of the 2025 harvest.    

For Minnesota and South Dakota farmers, including those serving on the Northern Soy Marketing board (NSM), it’s still a waiting game. 

Weather issues were prominent throughout the spring and summer, as Minnesota and North Dakota were hit by a derecho, and multiple tornadoes were felt across the Midwest. Extreme heat was also common, and when it wasn’t hot it was raining.  

Carson Stange, who farms near Stratford, S.D., considers himself lucky.  

“It’s been wet enough, but we haven’t had any severe weather,” he said. 

As we get close to harvest season, it’s waiting for the fields to dry out that is the most difficult. 

“As soon as the ground is fit, we can start combining,” said Tom Frisch, who farms in Dumont, Minn. His farm received another three inches of rain last week, saturating the already wet soil. 

According to the USDA NASS report, the days suitable for fieldwork has been low in both states. This time last year, most days were suitable at 6.5 for Minnesota and 6.6 for South Dakota. With all the rain seen, those days have been cut to 4.5 and 4.3. 

“Everybody is anxious to get out there,” laughed Patrick O’Leary, who farms near Benson, Minn. Even with relatively close proximity to Frisch, O’Leary missed out on the rain last week and only got about an inch. 

“We got 90 acres out on Tuesday, but now we’re kind of in a holding pattern waiting for a few more to get ready,” O’Leary said. “End of this week or early next week, things will start to really move.” 

Back in South Dakota, harvest might be just a little bit farther away. 

“The beans are starting to change,” said Stange, the newest NSM board member. “They’re probably about a week and a half away from harvest. I think the corn yield will be pretty good – beans should be about average.” 

Frisch is a little more conservative.  

“We will see after the combine gets rolling,” he said.