Crop Conditions and Talk of Harvest
North Central Iowa
Kevin Meyer reports the corn continues to dry down in his north central Iowa territory. Primarily seed corn harvest and silage chopping are in full harvest mode. While it’s too early to establish yield trends, spotty reports of moisture well below 30% are common. Soybeans continue to mature with an anxious eye on what effects SDS will have on yields. As combines and harvest equipment begin to move, remember safety and have a great harvest.
Below is a video of Mark Grundmeier, soybean product manager at Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, providing tips on how to avoid future SDS outbreaks.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kvxo3D3SQ0[/youtube]
Northwest Iowa
Crops are maturing at a very rapid rate, and Tom Larson says there is talk of corn harvest starting next week. Some farmers have expressed concern that the high daytime and nighttime temperature we’ve experienced recently might adversely affect corn yields and test weight. Keep in mind that grain fill is a 60-day process, but we’ve only experienced 4 or 5 abnormally warm nights during this time. As a result, test weight issues due to this will most likely be minimal. Tom is seeing some ear worm feeding, mainly on the tip. Remember: 3 damaged kernels equals 1 bushel lost. To help reduce and even eliminate this late-season problem in the future, plant Latham® products with Genuity SmartStack, Genuity VT3 Pro and the new Viptera event. Soybeans look great throughout Tom’s area. The Genuity RoundUp Ready 2 Yield Soybean products are poised to be the undisputed yield leaders this year. All of Latham’s new RR2 events in both research and field trials have really set the pods this season and the plant health on our products look great!
South Central Iowa
Travis Slusher is seeing some of the earlier maturity beans beginning to turn in south central Iowa. Corn is progressing rapidly and he wouldn’t be surprised to see machines shelling corn before bean harvest gets started in earnest. Stalk rot is still concerning in his area with the growing conditions he has seen this year, so if the corn is ready to come out early they should take advantage of the situation rather than fighting stalk issues later in the season. The L3268R2 and L2735R2 Vistive varieties are still showing great plant health and outstanding pod and bean counts.
East Central Iowa
In east central Iowa, Brad Beatty says farmers are busy getting ready for harvest. Many farmers are chopping corn for silage. Corn is drying down fast with grain moisture testing from 26 to 32%. Brad did a plot moisture test and LH 5228 VT3 is at 25% moisture. These moisture levels are hard to believe for this time of year. Soybeans are starting to turn in some fields, and some beans will be ready to harvest in about three weeks. One grower said he will welcome an early harvest because he hasn’t been able to do any fall tillage in many years.
South Central Iowa
Some of the earlier maturity beans beginning to turn in south central Iowa. Corn is progressing rapidly, and Travis Slusher says he won’t be surprised if some corn gets shelled before bean harvest is in full swing. Stalk rot is still a concern with the growing conditions, so if the corn is ready to come out early, farmers can take advantage of the situation rather than fighting stalk issues later in the season. Latham’s L3268R2 and the L2735R2V, with Roundup Ready 2 Yield and Vistive,® are showing great plant health, as well as outstanding pod and bean counts.
South Dakota
Bill Eichacker says 50% of the third cutting of alfalfa has been harvested in South Dakota and winter wheat is starting to go into the ground. Corn is still maturing quickly with 90% of the corn at the R4 stage and over half at the R5 stage. Both corn and soybeans are starting the R6 stage. Silage cutters will be in full force the week of Labor Day if the ground dries out. Early in the week parts of his region received over 4.5 inches of precipitation. Lots of farmers are getting their harvest equipment out and a lot of new augers are going down the roads.
Central Iowa
In two to three weeks, the combines will start on beans and corn in north central Iowa. Bart Peterson reports that a 98-day hybrid was hand-shelled August 24, just eight miles north of Fort Dodge, at 23% moisture. Corn and beans will be a little later in West Central Iowa. Near Odebolt, Ida Grove, and Arthur, Iowa, farmers will see one some the best bean yields they’ve had in a long time. Bart has seen four beans in a pod on quite a few varieties of Roundup Ready 2 Yield Soybeans.
Wisconsin
Steve Bailie reports beans are starting to turn in Wisconsin. Some corn has tested 29% moisture content. Corn silage harvest has wrapped up, and if the temperature stays up, corn growers will be harvesting in two or three weeks.
