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Area farmers need dry weather NOW, situation is ‘very critical’
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
“As far as soybeans go, we are at a very critical stage. If we don’t get an extended period of dry weather right now, a major portion of the bean crop could be a total loss,” reported Regional Extension Educator Lisa Behnken.
Behnken, who is based out of the Extension’s regional office in Rochester, said the extremely wet and cold October much of the Upper Midwest was subjected to has made the picture very bleak for farmers trying to harvest both soybeans and corn. She said less than half of the beans in Southeast Minnesota have been harvested. And according to test plots near Rochester, the moisture content is between 30 and 35 percent. A month ago beans in those test plots had a moisture content of 15 to 18 percent.
“It’s just been one dilemma after another this year,” Behnken continued. “Crops got way behind during the very cold and wet period in July and August. Then we got a break with a dry and warm September and things started looking pretty good.”
Just when farmers were getting into their fields, October arrived. October, which according to the National Weather Service was the second wettest on record with over 7.5 inches of rain, increased moisture contents in beans and corn 15 to 20 points. And the extremely wet weather also has made it impossible for farmers to operate their machinery in the fields.
“This last rain (Oct. 28 and 29) added insult to injury,” Behnken noted. “We’d had a few drying days and it looked like things might be straightening out. But those last rains resulted in water standing in fields.”
“Bean pods are starting to open up (due to the high moisture content), according to Behnken. If the area doesn’t get some dry weather right now, the pods will shatter during harvest, or the beans will rot in the pods.
Harvest way behind
According to the USDA’s weekly crop report for Minnesota, less than two days were suitable for fieldwork statewide last week. Soybeans were 44 percent harvested, compared with 91 percent at this time last year and a five-year average of 93 percent.
Only six percent of the corn crop was harvested. That compares with 28 percent last year and an average of 48 percent.
Corn mold a big issue
The late harvest, wet weather and high moisture corn have contributed to reports of moldy corn across the state, and producers should pay careful attention before handling, storing or feeding the crop to livestock, University of Minnesota Extension experts warn.
“If the corn is not harvested and dried properly, various fungi may continue to grow,” said Extension plant pathologist Dean Malvick. “Both types of mold—superficial growth on the surface of the kernels and significant ear and kernel rots—may cause greater problems.”
“Both molds and the mycotoxins produced by molds can cause health problems in livestock,” said Extension livestock specialist Jim Linn. At heightened risk for mold and mycotoxin health and disease problems are young animals, breeding animals and lactating dairy cows. Swine and poultry species are more susceptible to these problems than ruminants.
Mycotoxins in large doses can cause acute health, reproduction and production problems. However, the most likely scenario with feeding of moldy and/or mycotoxin containing feeds is a higher incidence of general, chronic health problems, poor reproduction and overall poor animal growth or milk production.
“In general, livestock producers should avoid feeding grain or grain silages containing colored molds (pink, blue green),” said Linn. Mycotoxins on the other hand, are not visible and their presence depends on the type of fungus present and the storage environment. Livestock producers should test grains and silages for mycotoxins before feeding.
To diagnose and help identify mold and kernel infection, producers can send samples to the University of Minnesota Plant Disease Clinic. For more information on the clinic and how to submit a sample, visit http://pdc.umn.edu.
“Diagnosis and identification can help clarify the problem and reduce it,” Malvick said, “but harvest and drying may be part of the solution.”
Drying issues
If producers are experiencing pre-harvest mold problems, 2009 is not a good year to use slow- or low-temperature drying methods, warns Extension agricultural engineer Bill Wilcke.
“Under these types of conditions, higher temperature drying methods that reduce the moisture content of the grain within a few hours or a few days are preferred,” Wilcke said.
Higher temperature dryers aren’t likely to run hot enough to kill the molds he explained, but they do slow mold growth by reducing the grain’s moisture content. The agitation of the grain during high-temperature drying is also likely to rub off some kinds of molds.
For more detailed information on drying and other research-based resources dealing with late harvest challenges, visit the Extension site, http://www.extension.umn.edu/LateHarvest.
You can contact Charlie Warner at
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