Big Slow Harvest Causing Problems
This year’s harvest is big, wet, and moving slowly. This is causing some logistical problems with the movement of grain and soybeans. With several days of dry weather ahead, the Indiana harvest will move back into high gear with the focus on soybeans, according to Mike Silver with Kokomo grain, “As we ended the week, we had the corn harvest here in Central Indiana at about 44% complete and the soybean harvest at 50%. ” He anticipated that over the weekend there would be a good deal of work done on bringing in soybeans.
The pace of harvest is behind the 5 year average, and Silver says the slow pace has caused problems in getting new crop supplies to the markets that need them, “There has been a good deal of competition between exporters and commercial processors. The processors have not been able to get enough soybeans to meet their immediate needs.” He said that is one reason there has been a run in price in the soybean meal market.
Silver told HAT, not only have periods of heavy rain slowed fieldwork, but the backlog in rail transportation is continuing to slow the movement of grain. In addition, the high moisture content of the corn is also a problem, “With corn still coming in at between 20% and 22%
moisture, grain dryers are having trouble keeping up.” He added, at both on farm and commercial facilities, grain intake is being halted in order to give the dryers a chance to catch up. Storage space remains very tight and this too is adding to the logistical problems.
Hoosier Ag Today meteorologist Rob Wasson says the week will begin with a warm and dry period, “This will help to increase evaporation rates with above normal temperatures statewide.” Wasson said there is a chance for some rain mid-week, but then a dry spell will return, “High pressure is expected to build in on Friday and last into the weekend. This will give farmers a stretch of dry days and temperatures averaging close to normal.” Looking ahead into the two week forecast, temperatures are expected to average below normal. Rainfall should be near normal statewide and over much of the Midwest.