Caledonia Argus

Farmers report corn, soybean yields good despite dry weather

Posted: 10/7/03

By David Heiller
Argus News Editor

Caledonia dairy farmer Tom Hoscheit remembers 1988, and itís not a pleasant memory.

There was a drought that summer, and corn yields dipped dramatically to about 100 bushels an acre that fall.

Normally the average is about 150 bushels per acre.

Hoscheit and others were worried that that could happen again this year, as drought conditions settled on southern Minnesota.

But that bullet is more like a flesh wound than a shotgun blast this year. Farmers are reporting that yields are down only slightly from normal, if there is such a thing as normal in the world of farming.

ìI was thinking we were going to see more of that this year,î Hoscheit said on October 1. ìWe had some timely rains to help us along the way.î

He made his comments during a rare moment of rest, when he shut off the engine of his Case International 1660 combine on October 2 to answer a few questions from this reporter. He was in the midst of combining corn from a 50-acre field on the southeastern edge of Caledonia. It is part of a 1,000 acre operation that he and his brother, Joe, run.

The roads and fields in all directions teemed with combines and grain trucks gathering the harvest of corn and soybeans.

Tom said he is averaging about 140 bushels of corn per acre. ìIíve seen yields all over the board,í he said. They range from 100 to 190 bushels per acre. Heavier soils have done better, as have spots where Mother Nature decided to drop some rain.

His corn was going into a stave silo, where he will feed it to the cows in the Hoscheitsí 160-cow dairy operation.

ìWe were happy with the corn silage,î Tom added. His nutritionist said it had a high energy and fiber content.

Tom said he gets a lot of help from his sons Brad, Heath, Cole, and Jacob. He laughed when asked if he was putting in long hours, then said his day starts at 4 a.m. and ends at about 8 p.m. So far he has been able to avoid working a lot of night hours. ìThings tend to break down after dark,î he said.

And when the corn harvest is done, itís on to the soybeans.

About a mile to the west, Harold and Duane Olerud of Spring Grove were custom combining the soybeans on the Hilary Allen farm. Harold said they were getting 40 bushels per acre or better.

ìThey had better than 50 here last year when I combined for them,î Harold said.

But itís actually not a bad year for as dry as itís been, Duane said.

Vince Carolan of Spring Grove was waiting to deliver an 840-bushel load of soybeans in his grain truck to a grain terminal in La Crosse. From there it will be loaded on a barge, shipped down the Mississippi, and then go overseas. ìChina more than likely,î Carolan said.

Harvest was earlier than normal

Niel Broadwater, Houston County Extension Director, said corn yields are ranging from 70 to 140 bushels per acre, according to reports from the Winona grain terminal. One Houston County farmer reported getting 180 bushels of corn per acre, Broadwater said.

Harvest is earlier than normal this year because of the dry weather, causing quicker maturity in the crops for corn and soybeans, Broadwater said.

The soybean timeline is spread out this year, he added. Some fields got dry and ready a couple weeks ago, while others still have their leaves on.

He agreed with Duane Olerud that soybean yields are better than anticipated.

ìWe normally are in the 40s and some even get in the 50s. Last year was an exceptional year and some got into the 60s per field,î he said.

ìFarmers were getting out in the fields and getting that silage out ,some as soon as the third week in Augustî Broadwater said.

In a normal year, corn silage wouldnít have been harvested until the first or second week in September.

ìBut the yields were pretty good, actually much better than anticipated. That corn plant is pretty resilient.î

Some farmers will leave their corn in the field as long as they can, so that it dries naturally, and they donít have to buy gas. But more nutrients move out of stalk and shank to develop and fill the kernels, therefore weakening the shank and stalk, Broadwater said.

He encouraged farmers to make sure that they donít end up with stalk rot and weak shank and therefore lodged corn or ear droppings. ìThen your combines canít pick it up.î

As for alfalfa, the dry weather provided a chance to harvest hay with no rain, Broadwater said. ìYou preserve good quality. The problem is because of the drought, you did not have as much yield.î

Be extra careful

On a related subject, insurance agent Tom Danielsen of Caledonia sent the Argus a press release from the National Safety Council that warned farmers of an increased risk of illness and deal this fall from exposure to nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide gas in silos as a result of drought conditions.

It stated that the vegetative parts of corn plants may contain higher than normal levels of nitrogen, which translates into more concentrated levels of ìsilo gas.î

Farmers are reminded to stay out of recently-filed silos, never allow children to explore silos, and keep all doors between the base of the silo and ground level barns closed.

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