Minnesota corn, soybean farmers make rapid harvest progress thanks for favorable weather

The roar of combines filled the air across much of Minnesota as farmers made rapid progress on the corn harvest.

Thanks to favorable weather last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday the state's corn harvest is 41 percent complete, compared with 16 percent a week earlier and is running only 10 days behind average.

The department also says in its weekly crop progress and condition report for Minnesota the moisture content of harvested corn is averaging 20 percent, an improvement of 3 percentage points from last week, though moisture levels remain an issue for many producers. Farmers save on propane costs when they can let their corn dry in the field before harvesting it.

Minnesota's soybean harvest continues to run ahead of normal at 94 percent complete.