This year’s harvest is starting to wind down, the weekly weather and crop conditions survey released October 25 shows 86% of Iowa corn acres have been harvested, 35 days ahead of last year and 25 days ahead of the 5-year average. Soybean acres harvested are 97% complete, 24 days ahead of last year and 19 days ahead of the 5-year average. (Source: Wallaces Farmer)

South Central Iowa

Harvest is winding up across South Central Iowa, so many producers are doing fall tillage, tiling and fertilizing. Travis Slusher says gale-force winds this week will put corn that is still in the field under an extreme stand-ability test.  Corn yields have been variable to say the least, but there have been some very good performances.  Latham® Hi‑Tech Hybrids that did well in this area include LH 5645 3000GT, LH 6003 3000GT, LH 6032 RR, LH 6056 VT3, LH 6394 3000GT and LH 6598 VT3.  Some of the standout soybean varieties in this area are L2735R2V, L2984R2, L3186R2, L3268R2 and L2987L. 

Central Iowa

Kevin Meyer reports harvest is almost complete in his territory. Fall fertilizer and tillage is underway with fall anhydrous application set for the end of this week. Soybeans had a very good year, even with a strong presence of SDS in the area. Latham® Hi‑Tech Soybeans L2182R2 and L2440R2 performed very well against the competition with a 6 to 10-bushel advantage.  New products in our soybean lineup, along with proven performance of the Roundup Ready brands, offers some great yield opportunities on soybean acres in 2011. Kevin’s customers saw strong performances from Latham® Hi‑Tech Hybrids LH 5228 VT3, LH 5376 VT3 and LH 5494 3000GT; LH 5896 VT3 and LH 5877 VT3 PRO rounded out the season with great stalk strength and grain quality in the 108-day maturity.  There was a big improvement in dry down and test weight from the 2010 as compared to 2009 crop.

Wisconsin

Steve Bailie reports most growers in his territory have finished their 2010 harvest of corn and beans. With higher yields, this year many bins are full so growers have had to take the remaining crop to the local elevator or to the river. It’s an inconvenience, but it’s not a bad problem to have, especially considering market price has been above average this fall. Corn yields this year were higher than in the past years.  Steve was amazed by yields on hybrids with the Roundup Ready® trait next to the stacked hybrids. One hybrid that did particularly well in Wisconsin is Latham® LH 4999 RR, which has been pulling yields above 200 bu/A in many locations across the state. Latham LH 4999 RR is an amazing refuge corn choice for growers here. With wet, windy weather in the forecast this week, it’s a great time to finish crop planning and finalizing your 2011 seed purchases.

West Central Iowa

The northern region of Bart Peterson’s territory is done combing corn and soybeans.  Field work is mostly done there, as well.  Anhydrous is being applied.  The western half of Bart’s territory has finished soybean harvest and 10 to 15% of the corn has yet to be combined. 

Northwest Iowa

Big yields require replacement of fertilizer to ensure big yield opportunity for next year, says Tom Larson.  Potash is the most over looked product when going from corn to soybeans.  Consult with your fertilizer specialist about soybeans.

Northern Missouri

Rick Foster reports harvest is still moving along and was slowed a little this weekend with 1 inch of rain.

I’ve always enjoyed harvest and its promise of yield results, but this year has been especially exciting.  More customers than ever have called from the field to share personal stories about incredible product performance.

A customer in northeast Iowa called and thanked his Latham representative for adding $200,000 to his bottom line recently because Latham® LH 5426 VT3 PRO produced 30 bu/A more than the competition. A customer in South Central Iowa reported yields of 70 to 100 bu/A with Latham® L2984R2, and I personally saw this same soybean brand average 72 bu/A across 142 acres near Adel, Iowa.

Latham® Hi‑Tech Soybeans with Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® technology are truly having a break-through year. We’re seeing more customers than ever harvest soybeans in the 70s and 80s – numbers that are beating the competition because our independence allows us to scan the globe for the world’s best genetics.

For a sneak peek at yield results, click here. To see a state-by-state yield report, click on the states below:

Iowa
Nebraska
Minnesota
South Dakota
Wisconsin

More yield results will be posted as they become available, so be sure to check our Website again soon for more exciting news about Latham® performance.

The 2010 harvest will be complete at least one month sooner for the farmers with whom I’ve had the pleasure of talking to as their combining their fields.  (A great, big thank you to those Latham® customers who so graciously let me go a few rounds with them.  It was great fun!)  Everyone I rode with mentioned they will have finished combining all of their crops this year before they even started on corn last year.  What a difference a year makes!

Certainly, the early harvest has people talking.  Of course, farmers are talking about the weather – and the long stretch of warm, dry, sunny days we’ve been blessed with.  In addition, they’re talking about the great yields they’re getting with Latham® products.  Below is a summary of harvest progress and results for several regions throughout our six-state marketing territory.

Wisconsin

If the weather holds the rest of this week, most growers in Steve Bailie’s area will either be done with harvest or their bins will be full. With the amazing corn and bean crop this year, many southwest Wisconsin farmers have filled their bins and are also sending some new crop to a local grain elevator.  In addition to the amazing yields, the corn and bean high market prices also have farmers smiling. Many farmers will realize more income that they originally expected.

One hybrid that has been doing particularly well in Steve’s territory is Latham LH 5536 VT3.  Last week Steve saw this hybrid go over 240 bushels per acre across a 150-acre field. The overall field average was 219 bushel, which is pretty amazing considering this farm has a lower fertility factor than desired for that kind of yield. Many farmers in the southwest part of Steve’s territory also have been very pleased with their bean yields. It hasn’t been uncommon to hear reports of 80-bushel beans. The overall average in this area will be 65 to 68 bu/A, up from 58 to 60 bu/A in recent years.

That being said, Steve recommends growers consider soil sampling this fall for a few reasons: 

1. Record yields in some areas probably took record amounts of fertility from the soil. 
2. It’s also a good time to study areas where improvements can be made.
3. Finish your cropping plans for the 2011 growing season. 

Northeast Iowa

Nick Benson says soybean harvest is 99% complete in his area.  Now that all of the beans have been combined, it’s very apparent farmers here had the best yields in recent years.  Latham Hi‑Tech Soybeans with the Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield^TM technology lived up to their expectations.  Yesterday, Nick took a call from a happy customer who reported that his Latham L2440s beat S21-N6s by 10 bushel! Most growers will finish harvesting corn by the week’s end, and corn yields have been variable.  Some of the top performers in Nick’s area are LH 5425 VT3 and LH 5376 VT3.  Hybrids to keep an eye on in 2011 are LH 4844 3000GT, LH 4999 VT3 PRO, LH 5266 3000GT, LH 5645 3000GT and last, but certainly not least, LH 5877 VT3 PRO.

West Central Iowa

More soil has been turning black in North Central Iowa each day.  Bart Peterson says soybean harvest is complete and corn is 99% done; West Central Iowa is done with soybeans and 65% done with corn. Latham Hi‑Tech Soybeans with Genuity® Roundup Ready to Yield^TM technology continue to be the talk here with L2440R2 and L2084R2 topping most plots.  Latham Hi‑Tech Hybrids are also performing strong.  The following hybrids have topped plots throughout West Central Iowa: LH 5877 VT3 Pro, LH 5896 VT3 and LH 6057 SS.

Northwest Iowa

Harvest is coming to an end this week in Tom Larson’s area.  There were a lot of exciting yields recorded, including LH 5376VT3 that yielded 274 bushels per acre.  Another great performer has been LH 5228VT3.  Latham soybean brands with Genuity® Roundup Ready to Yield^TM technology are the yield kings here, with several farmers boasting 80-bushel yields from L2440R2. Many of Latham’s tried and true R1 soybeans are still performing strong here including: L2085R, L2285R, L2560R and L2635R. Yield data will be posted soon on www.lathamseeds.com.

North Central Iowa

Kevin Meyer reports harvest proceeded at break-neck pace in his area this week.  Soybeans are done, and 85% of the corn has been harvested.  Corn yields have been uneven, depending on rainfall and lack/loss of nitrogen, but it’s still a good corn crop. With soybean harvest complete, many farmers are turning their attention to the next crop year. A very strong performance from RR2Y’s and the other products in Latham’s line-up this season is a great start to your cropping plan.  Placement of products on field-by-field basis according to soil type and field history is the key to higher yields, year after year.

South Dakota

South Dakota is ahead of the five-year average with only 5% of the soybeans and about 60% of the corn acres left to be harvested.  Bill Eichacker says yields this year will be another one for the record books in many areas.  Corn moisture and test weight are more appealing than last year as most of the corn is 57 pounds or higher and moisture is in the teens. 

Northern Missouri

All of the rainfall received in Missouri throughout the summer really took a toll on yield this year.

Considering the conditions, Rick Foster says harvest is going quite well with 80-bushel corn.  Soybean yields have been ranging from 40 to 45 bushels per acre.

South Central Iowa

Some producers in Travis Slusher’s area have finished with harvest and now are focused on tillage, tiling and fall fertilizer application.  Soybean harvest is complete and farmers are finishing up corn harvest.  For the most part, corn yields have been variable depending upon soil types and how much water pressure the crop was under.  Latham® Hi‑Tech Hybrids LH5645 3000GT, stood up very well – compared to competitors and other hybrids – in the low, heavy soils where there was an extreme amount of pressure due to wet soils.