According to the latest USDA Crop Progress Report, 68 percent of Indiana’s corn and 87 percent of the state’s soybeans are harvested. The five-year average percentage for corn is 76 percent, which shows that this year’s corn harvest is lagging behind.
“Harvest progress is slow because the corn is retaining moisture,” according to Jeff Lakin, Technical Agronomist with Specialty Hybrids. He’s based out of Jasper County and serves farmers across northern Indiana.
“There is a lot of wet corn still out in the field and elevators are having to dry just about every bushel that comes through,” adds Lakin. “We’re still harvesting corn and the low 20’s to even some mid 20’s, when it comes to moisture levels. I hear the elevators are full and they’re at drying capacity. They can’t keep up with the yields that were taking off. There are also long lines and short hours at the elevators, which are really just slowing down the progress.”
Lakin adds that corn yields have been outstanding throughout his territory. He says many farmers across northwestern Indiana may not have harvest completed by Thanksgiving.
“We see the finish line. We just need a week or so of good weather and we’ll have a lot of guys starting to finish up,” says Lakin. “I’m optimistic that by Thanksgiving, we should have a pretty good chunk of this corn harvest wrapped up and then hopefully by that first of December, we’ll be pretty close to done.”
The update is sponsored by Specialty Hybrids. At Specialty Hybrids, it’s your field, our Specialty. Find your local field sales representative and dealer online at www.specialtyhybrids.com.
