Rain slows harvest season in many areas

Continued wet, rainy weather has slowed harvest progress in many areas of the Upper Midwest. Harvest progress across the region varies considerably, depending on the amount of rainfall received during September and early October, and the level of soil saturation that existed in given locations.
Generally, soybean harvest has barely started in most areas of the Upper Midwest, and virtually no corn has been harvested other than for livestock feed.
The early yield reports from the soybean harvest across the region, which are quite limited, have been fairly mixed. There have been some yield monitor, weigh-wagon, and test plot soybean yields of 60 bushels per acre or higher reported in southern Minnesota.
Of course, it should be pointed out that “whole field” yields are determined by dividing total bushels harvested by the total acres in a field that were planted last spring.
When using this yield calculation, whole field yields of 50 to 60 bushels per acre have been more common, with lower yields in areas that were hardest hit by excessive moisture earlier in the 2019 growing season.
There are many farms or fields with significant drowned out areas, or portions of fields that are not harvestable. The crop acres that are not harvestable need to be factored in to the final “whole field” yield calculations. In some cases this will significantly lower the final “whole field” yields.
For example, a soybean field with a weigh wagon yield of 60 bushels per acre, measured in an area with no drown-out damage, would see the “whole field” yield reduced to 48 bushels per acre if 20 percent of the field is not harvestable.
There will be numerous soybean fields across the region that will have 10-20 percent or more of the total acres that are not harvestable this year. Most experts expect a wide variation in final soybean yields, once harvest is completed.
Corn harvest has also been initiated in very limited areas of the region, where that corn has reached maturity and is drying down in the field. Once corn reaches physiological maturity, or “black-layer,” the corn begins to dry down naturally in the field.
Field dry-down rates of one-third to one-half percent per day are typical for corn during the first half of October with normal temperatures, and slightly higher on warm, sunny days.
Much of the corn in the field is still 25-30 percent moisture or higher. Ideally corn needs to be dried down to about 15-16 percent moisture, either naturally in the field or with supplemental drying, for safe storage in on-farm grain bins until next spring or summer.
The slow dry-down of the corn in the field in 2019 will likely result in significantly higher corn drying costs this year.
Stalk quality and strength has been a major concern with the 2019 corn crop in many areas of the Upper Midwest, with significant stalk breakage and ear droppage already occurring in some fields.
A high amount of “green snap” in some corn hybrids resulting from strong winds in July, together with some incidence of corn diseases late in the growing season, is leading to weakening of corn stalks in some areas of southern Minnesota.
The consistent standing water in some areas in recent weeks is likely to result in weaker stalks, as well as more development of stalk rots, which could result in additional corn lodging.
Fall tillage and manure applications could also be challenging in many locations this fall, due to the extremely saturated topsoil conditions. This type of soil situation makes it difficult for quality tillage and may require leaving portions of fields without fall tillage or manure applications.
Producers are also reminded that soil temperatures should be 50 degrees Fahrenheit or lower for fall applications of nitrogen fertilizer for the 2020 crop year in order to avoid significant losses. Soil temperatures at Waseca were still above 60 degrees F. in early October.