Big Crops Posing Big Challenges at Harvest
Big yields are making growers happy this harvest, but big crops are posing some challenges. As HAT reported earlier in the week, corn yields in SW Indiana counties are averaging over 250 bpa, and, with a week of dry weather, the pace of harvest has definitely picked up. According to Tony Halter with DuPont Pioneer in SW Indiana, “It has taken growers an extra week or two to get into the fields because of the moisture. Dry down has finally started, and we are seeing corn moisture levels below 25%.” Halter told HAT farmers are trying to pick up the pace of harvest because there is so much corn to be harvested, “Logistically there is just a lot of corn out in the field, and we have to get it into the bin or to the elevator.”
Also seen is a pickup in the pace of soybean harvesting this week. Despite some heavy infestation of Sudden Death Syndrome, Halter says soybean yields are surprisingly good, “We had SDS come in late in the season and it really looked bad. But as we are running the combines through these fields, the yields are not looking too bad.” He added that, in the end, there is not likely to be much yield loss this year from the outbreak of SDS.
Halter urges growers to check their fields and determine which ones need to be harvested early and which ones can wait a little longer. He worried stalk lodging may be a serious problem in some fields. While many Pioneer hybrids have good stalk integrity, he still urges growers to evaluate each field and each hybrid carefully. He also suggests growers contact their Pioneer representative for help and an objective evaluation on this year’s crop as well as recommendations for next year.