Field Notes Talks Corn Crop Condition, Harvest Progress

The National Corn Growers Association continues its sixth season of Field Notes, a series that takes readers behind the farm gate to follow the year in the life of American farm families. While these growers come from diverse geographic areas and run unique operations, they share a common love for U.S. agriculture and the basic values that underpin life in farming communities.

Wednesday, Field Notes discussed the corn crop condition and harvest progress with Jim Raben, who farms in southern Illinois.

“We are actually finished harvesting corn,” he explained. “It was a quick harvest, and corn yields were down in our area. Ours were down between 30 and 35 percent off of average for early corn and 50 to sixty percent off of average for the late corn.”

To listen to the full interview, click here.

In north central Iowa, April Hemmes reported that wet conditions were hampering harvest progress.

“We are trying to plow through the mud here,” she said. “I have a little bit of my beans harvested. My area got nine or more inches of rain and flooded. Even now, we are still dying down and trying to get through it.”

To listen to the full interview, click here.

Dan Erickson, who farms in Minnesota, explained that the corn is in excellent condition despite rain delays.

“Our soybean harvest has been going strong the last five or six days now,” he said. “The weather has finally been decent, and the harvest is moving quickly. Two weeks ago, we had a lot of rain with total ranging between 7 and 14 inches. It took us some time to get rid of that water and get started.”

To listen to the full interview, click here.

Stay tuned over the coming weeks as Field Notes follows the growers who have opened their farms, families and communities up this year and meet the true faces of modern American agriculture.