The Indiana Harvest is coming to an end in much of the state, but areas in SE Indiana still have a lot of work to do. Statewide, 89 percent of the corn acreage has been harvested, compared to 69 percent last year, and 74 percent for the 5-year average. By area, 87 percent of the corn acreage has been harvested in each of the north and central regions, with 95 percent in the south. But several areas on SE Indiana lag behind the state numbers. Brian Bush, agronomist with Pioneer, says the wind, rain, and freezing temperatures of the past week have really put stress on corn still standing in the field, “Especially in those areas hit hard by the drought, stalk integrity and even ear dropping are becoming a real problem.”
In soybean fields, it is a different story. Bush says late season rains have helped finish the beans well and yields are better than expected, “Soybean yields across the board have been very good.” Bush said even some of the group 3 varieties were helped by the late summer rains and are yielding as good as the full season varieties, “Generally the fuller season soybeans you planted, the higher your yields.”
Some growers have finished up work for the year, others are doing fall fieldwork, and still others have planters rolling. “We have guys who are planting wheat right now,” Bush told HAT. He said there is still enough good weather left to get a wheat crop established. With $15 soybeans and $8 wheat, he said a soybean/wheat double crop can be very profitable.
Hoosier Ag Today would like to thank all the DuPont/Pioneer agronomists around the state for their outstanding job of keeping us all up to speed on crop conditions and crop development this year.
[audio:https://www.hoosieragtoday.com//wp-content/uploads//2012/11/SEharvest.mp3|titles=Harvest Lagging in SE Indiana]