Posted: 9/19/06
Wet conditions could hamper harvest
But crops are on schedule and yields are good
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
The busy harvest season has begun, if Mike Ingvalsonís cell phone is any indication.
It rang twice in a five minute span while he was talking with this reporter on Friday morning, September 15.
Ingvalson said he was finishing up some custom corn chopping. That afternoon he would change to chopping hay, then on Saturday it would be back to corn silage.
He and his crew have gotten a lot done so far. ìWeíre hoping for some drier conditions in the future so we can really accomplish stuff,î he quickly added. ìThis wet weather is starting to hinder us.î
About three inches of rain fell from September 10-12, and more cool, damp weather is in the forecast for this week.
ìNothing is late right now,î Ingvalson said. ìWeíre not pressed yet but it wouldnít take long to start changing attitudes for everyone.î
Farmers start to push things this time of year, Ingvalson said. Days get shorter, and stress builds up. Factors like that can lead to accidents, he said.
ìThereís not always tomorrow. In the spring it seems like things are always getting better,î Ingvalson said. ìSleep can definitely be a factor. You all of a sudden start running 14 hour days. 15 hour days.î
He and his co-workers try to stop, get out and take small breaks a couple times a day. Their trucks, have citizen band radios, so drivers can talk to each other. ìCommunication seems to be so much better for that factor,î Ingvalson said.
And donít forget those cell phones.
Yield is good
Ingvalson estimated that the corn yield is down about 8-10 bushels from last year. ìBut thereís still a very good, sound crop there,î he said.
Jerry Tesmer, a technical advisor for the University of Minnesota extension Service in Houston County, agreed with Ingvalsonís assessment: a good yield, but not quite as good as last year. Last year was record-setting, with 170-plus bushels per acre of corn, and 60 bushels per acre of soybeans in southeastern Minnesota.
ìThere were fields that went over 200 bushes an acre last year, which is pretty rare,î Tesmer said.
Like Ingvalson, Tesmer said farm safety is important to keep in mind this time of year. he urged farmers to take extra time and be cautious.
Tesmer thinks we are in for a good fall, and that should reduce the accident rate, and help lower drying costs.
As for the recent heavy rains, Tesmer said it was good for pastures and for farmers who want to take one late cutting of hay. ìHaving moisture is not a bad thing,î he said.
The month of September is not a good time to have hay on the ground, anyway. A lot of hay got baled on Labor Day weekend; Tesmer said he lost count of the number of round balers he saw in one day on his way home to Chatfield from Caledonia.
Corn silage is almost wrapped up in the area, Tesmer said, and soybeans will follow soon. One guy by St. Charles has his beans harvested already, Tesmer noted on September 14.
The corn price is low but coming back a little, he said. The harvest season lows may have already occurred ñ Tesmer said one advisory service said they saw it at end of August.
About $2.20-$2.30 per bushel is considered a break-even price for corn, Tesmer said. Yield makes a difference, he added, because a higher yield lowers the cost per bushel.
Loan deficiency payments (LDP) also help farmers, Tesmer said. LDP is a federal subsidy that guarantees a certain price per bushel. For example, if the posted corn price is $1.98 per bushel and a farmer sells his corn for $1.75 per bushel, he would receive a 23-cent per bushel LDP.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com