Fall harvest season behind normal

The 2019 harvest season started late in the Upper Midwest and is further delayed by wetter than normal weather in many areas.
As of Oct. 15, the weekly USDA Crop Progress Report listed only 19 percent of the soybeans harvested in Minnesota, compared to a 5-year average of 62 percent harvested by that date.
Iowa reported only 17 percent of the soybeans harvested by Oct. 15, compared to an average of 43 percent harvested by that date. North and South Dakota were at 16 percent and 13 percent of the soybeans harvested.
Nationwide, 26 percent of the soybeans were harvested by then … well below the 5-year average of 49 percent harvested by that date. There was some significant advancement in the soybean harvest in many areas during this past week.
According to the Oct. 15 Crop Report, only 5 percent of Minnesota’s 2019 corn crop had been harvested, compared to a 5-year average of 19 percent by that date.
Iowa had only 7 percent of the corn crop harvested by Oct. 15, South Dakota was at 3 percent harvested, and North Dakota had only 1 percent of the corn harvested.
Nationwide, 22 percent of the corn crop had been harvested by Oct. 15, compared to an average of 36 percent typically harvested by that date.
Another concern in some portions of Minnesota and northern Iowa, as well as in North and South Dakota, is the fact that some corn was not mature when the first frost occurred during the week of Oct. 7-13.
While this is slightly later than the normal first-frost date in many locations, the freeze still came too early for large numbers of corn acres in the Upper Midwest that were planted in late May and early June.
The USDA Report on Oct. 15 listed the following percentages for corn that had reached maturity: Minnesota at 66 percent, Iowa at 72 percent, South Dakota at 53 percent, and North Dakota at 42 percent.
This means that potentially nearly one-third of Minnesota’s corn crop and nearly half of North and South Dakota’s corn crops had not yet reached maturity when the first killing frost occurred.
When a killing frost occurs before the corn is mature, it can reduce yield, result in lighter test weights, and slow the field dry-down of the corn.
Early reports of soybean yields have been highly variable across southern Minnesota and northern Iowa.
Reported whole-field soybean yields of 50-60 bushels per acre have been quite common in many areas of south central Minnesota, with a few yields exceeding those levels. There were some reduced yields in areas that were impacted by late planting and excessive rainfall during the 2019 growing season.
Areas that are dealing with harvest challenges due to excessive rainfall and the early mid-October snowstorm are also likely to have yield reductions.
The 2019 soybean yields in most areas of the Upper Midwest will likely be average or below, compared to normal soybean yield levels, and well below the record soybean yields that some farm operators have experienced in recent years.
Due to limited corn harvest progress in most areas, it is a bit early to project yield trends for corn in the region. It is expected that corn yields across the Upper Midwest will be highly variable, just as the soybeans have been.
In many areas, the 2019 corn crop has been challenged the entire growing season by late planting, severe storms, late maturity, and finally by harvest challenges. It appears that the region is going to have a very long and tenuous harvest season for corn this fall.
Producers are hoping that the harvest moisture of the corn coming out of the field starts to decline; however, this could be a challenge as we get later into the fall, especially on corn that had not reached maturity.
Most of the corn being harvested in south central Minnesota in the past week has been at 24- to 28-percent moisture, meaning a significant amount of additional drying is required before the corn is placed in on-farm bins for storage.
Corn should be dried to about 15-16 percent moisture before going into the grain bin for safe storage until next spring or summer.
In late October and early November, the field moisture content of the corn is only likely to drop one-quarter to one-half percent per day under favorable conditions, and lesser amounts in cool, cloudy weather.
For additional information contact Kent Thiesse, Farm Management Analyst and Senior Vice President, MinnStar Bank, Lake Crystal. (Phone: 507-381-7960; email kent.thiesse@minnstarbank.com; website: www.minnstarbank.com