Blog

Sep 28, 2020

Key Issues: Production

Author: Cathryn Wojcicki

“Harvest is going well in terms of the corn yields we’re seeing. The moisture content is still high right now, but we are working at a good pace. We are keeping up with the drying right now. Last night, it rained a little, but it hasn’t slowed us down.”   – Addie Yoder, Missouri farmer       “Looking at our crop with the drone, our corn is standing well at this time. Yet, like everyone says here, the corn is variable.   “The moisture content has been 18 to 25 percent, and yields have been 170 to 200 bushel-per acre range.  Our kernels are better than I thought they would be. They are not shallow and test weights are okay.  I have heard of some low-test weights and low yields on lighter ground.  On our sandy soil, yields are in the 140s. All in all, I am happy with what I have gotten so far.  I have to remember I have had very little rain since July and most of it came in September.     “Maybe some agronomist can identify the brown/black on my corn?  It is in a small...

Sep 21, 2020

Key Issues: Production

Author: Cathryn Wojcicki

  “Our corn crop looks good. We harvested a couple of fields of soybeans this week and may harvest corn next week. We are excited about the way that they are looking.”   – Bryan Biegler,  Minnesota farmer     “We are getting very close to harvest. A couple of weeks ago, we thought we would be harvesting by now, but early September rains and cool temperatures slowed us down. Hopefully, we can begin harvesting here by the end of this week. Overall, it looks like we will have good yields.”   – Patty Mann – Ohio farmer  

Sep 14, 2020

Key Issues: Production

Author: Cathryn Wojcicki

“Harvest has started, and we should have soybeans in by Wednesday. Then, we will start with corn. We tried to harvest one acre that had been impacted by the strong winds here the day of the derecho. In an hour, we only pulled in 180 bushels. Hopefully, there are only the few, spotty acres that were hit, which is what we are seeing now.”   – Jim Raben, Illinois farmer   “We dealt with frost and a freeze September 8 and 9. We saw a low of 31 degrees, but there were 27- and 28-degree readings nearby. We’re still assessing the result this will have on our crop.   “On our farm, the biggest challenge has been getting 1.5 times the normal amount of rain in June, July, and August with soil that was already saturated going into it. Things looked much better a month ago. I am optimistic we will have an average yield from our corn, but it will be average at best.”   – Randy Melvin, North Dakota farmer

Sep 8, 2020

Key Issues: Production

Author: Cathryn Wojcicki

  “Forecasts say that we are getting cooler weather and more moisture this week. If it does stay dry enough, we may start picking some high-moisture corn at the end of the week. So far, we are seeing decent test weights and yields but, given temperatures that topped 90 degrees and strong winds over the weekend, the test weights might not be as good as they could have been.”   – Lowell Neitzel, Kansas farmer     “Tonight’s forecast shows that our low temperature should be 34 degrees, which would keep precipitation from turning into snow. Last night, we saw rain and hail, and it hasn’t climbed out of the 30s yet today. A hard frost would take some off our top-end yield. Even the temperatures already here might stop the corn from filling out the kernels. If we had gotten another ten days of warm, sunny weather, we would have had a great crop.”   – Andy Jobman, Nebraska farmer