By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

Rainy weather meant this year’s silage chopping got off to a late start compared to last year.

Brett Hajek, who with his brothers, Darrin and Trent, operate custom silage cutters Hajek Enterprises, said this year’s abundant rains mean many fields are still muddy. Cutting equipment cannot get out.

“We just got a start on it here toward the end of August, so we’re a month behind where we were last year,” Hajek said.

Last year, silage cutting started earlier because a dry year, causing many farmers to go ahead and cut corn for silage, he said.

This year has been kinder to the corn crop, Hajek said.

“A lot of them are leaving it for picking,” Hajek said. “There’s high moisture corn leaving the fields right now.”

More favorable conditions for silage cutting are needed.

“I got a handful of people waiting on me,” he said. “They’re not so much waiting on me as they are on the weather to cooperate.”

Hajek said some farmers planted sorghum that will still need to be cut. The weather has been so good for sorghum it has grown much taller than usual, he said.