Monday’s USDA Crop Progress Report showed Indiana corn 57% harvested and Indiana soybeans 63% harvested, both behind the 5-year average pace. With significant rain over the weekend and more rain in the forecast, farmers will likely have to get out in the field in less-than-ideal conditions.
Central Indiana Pioneer agronomist Ryan Piel says you never want to get out in wet and muddy conditions, but this year you might have to. He says we can manage the future crops after some compaction this year.
“It depends on if you’re a no-till guy or if you do some tillage, what kind of practices you have in place, whether you pull out some tillage to break some compaction if it may happen from this. We may have to level some ruts out unfortunately. That’s definitely going to be a necessity here. We could even use some cover crops to help break that ground up underneath. I think there are different ways to manage through this, but definitely something we have to think about doing once this season is done. We just have to get this ’21 crop out of the field. Now.”
With better than anticipated corn and soybean yields this year, he says go get it when you can. Hear more with Pioneer’s Ryan Piel in the full HAT interview below: