Pioneer Harvest Yield Check 10/15/14
Soybean yields in Central Indiana are coming in at the high end of expectations, but poor drainage in some fields is cutting yields. With about a third of the harvest complete, Fred Kramer, with DuPont Pioneer, says soybean yields are making growers smile, “The T series soybeans have been simply outstanding. I have some fields that are yielding in the 80bpa range and some down in the 50 bpa area.” He added drainage problems are the cause for the lower yields in some fields. This part of the state had some flooding issues earlier this year, and Kramer says too much moisture is hurting yields in some cases, “If we have wet spots, the yields are suffering; but, where we have good tile drainage, we are doing well.”
Kramer said the variety that is performing the best in Boone, Tipton, and Clinton Counties is 33T72, “That is a new bean for us and is a 3.3 maturity and has just been doing very very well across a bunch of different environments.”
Heavy rain and high winds have put the harvest on hold in many areas of the state, and concern is mounting about how long the corn can stand. This summer’s cooler weather and lack of growing degree days has already caused problems with stalk rot. Fred Kramer, with DuPont Pioneer, says these late season rains are causing serious disease problems, “We have stalk rot, crown rot; and now with high winds, rain, and delays, it is going to make it that much more likely for problems down the road.” Kramer, who covers several counties in Central Indiana, says about a third of the corn and soybean crops have been harvested.
Kramer told HAT, while the harvest is on hold, growers should be checking fields to catch problems early, “Waiting is not an easy thing to do. What I would be doing is checking fields to see which crops may have some standability issues. I might also look at which fields have ear molds.” He added that he has not seen a lot of ear mold, but this kind of weather is conducive to the problem.
As for yields, in Central Indiana the numbers look good, “The yields have been phenomenal, they may not be as high as everyone thought they were going to be, but they are very very good.” Kramer he has seen many fields yield well above 250 bpa. He said many farms will have averages around 200 bpa.