Posted: 10/4/05
Soybeans and corn harvest look good
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
The soybean harvest is coming in above average, according to local farmers and ag officials.
Aaron Klinski, who does custom combine work with his father, Mark, is seeing yields in the upper 50 to lower 60 bushels per acre.
ìItís looking pretty good, Klinski said on September 23. ìAs poor as stuff looked earlier in the year it really turned out good.î
Conditions were dry at the beginning of the year, but rains in August really helped a lot, Klinski said.
Getting into the fields wasnít a problem when Klinski made his comments, but the Caledonia area received about 2-1/2 inches of rain on September 25, which brought the combines to a halt.
The minute things dry up, farmers will ìgo nutsî harvesting soybeans, U of M Extension Service technical advisor Jerry Tessmer said on September 28. ìI think the next week weíll see a lot of soybeans combined.î
Some fields had soft spots prior to the rain, said Tessmer, who divides his time between Houston, Fillmore, and Winona Counties. ìWeíve had plenty of moisture in the last several months,î he said. ìI expect the soft spots are a little softer. That could be the one hold up, the soil moisture.î
As far as yields go, Tessmer has seen an extreme high of 72 bushels per acre, and another field close to 60. He expects it will end up in the high 40s. ìThatíll put us near a record,î Tessmer said.
Corn looks excellent also
Tessmer has also noticed some combining of corn, probably by dairy farmers who want high moisture corn for silos.
ìItís too early [to predict yields] but itís going to be good,î he said.
The rule of thumb for corn harvest is to triple the bushels per acre for soybeans. But lately you can add a little more to that, so Tessmer is predicting yields averaging 160 bushels per acre.
Some farmers will wait longer than normal to pick corn, hoping it dries in the field, Tessmer said. Itís OK to wait, but donít wait after November 1, he advised. The area doesnít receive much drying weather after that point. Ear dropping and corn stalk rot get a lot worse then too, he said.
Farmers can check their fields, see how they are standing and how European corn borers have affected it, then get problem fields combined as early as possible, Tessmer said.
ìIf the price of corn was better, it might be a great harvest,î he said.
Tessmer reminded farmers to make sure they their paperwork is in place to get their Loan Deficiency Payment (LDP). The LDP is 51 cents per bushel of corn, Tessmer said. Soybeans are one cent away from having LDP, he added.
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