Harvest is in full swing, with 21 percent of Indiana’s corn and 33 percent of the state’s soybeans already harvested according to the USDA Crop Progress Report for Oct. 10.
Marty Park with Gutwein Seed Services—a Specialty Hybrids dealer serving northwestern Indiana—says soybeans yields have varied throughout the region.
“We lived rain event to rain event up here for the most part, but surprisingly the bean yields are better than expected,” according to Park. “They always say late rainfall in late August through early September makes soybean yields and we were pretty dry through most of our area, but beans are surprisingly good.”
Park says that corn yields have also varied as corn moisture levels are starting to become more favorable.
“Corn yields are also extremely variable just because of the rainfall situation that we experienced,” he says. “In general, yields are probably 20-to-25 bushels per acre better than what most growers were expecting. I’ve seen corn moisture levels anywhere from 18 percent to corn that is still at 28 percent, so is dependent upon maturities, the time of planting, rainfall, and weather disease crept in or not.”
Park says that anthracnose has been spotted across northwestern and northern Indiana late this summer.
“Back in mid-August, we started to see some anthracnose come into some of these corn hybrids. Then the dry, hot conditions just accentuated that. Some of this corn shut down a little prematurely, but there are still really good yields. It makes you wonder—if we had another inch of rain or two and a little more favorable conditions, how much bigger these yields could be.”
This 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.
