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Drought showing up in Minnesota corn, soybean yields Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Agri News staff writer
The summer's drought is showing up in yields.
Corn yield reports range from zero on dryland sands that aren't irrigated to nearly normal yields of 140 bushels per acre on heavier, darker soil that received timely rainfall and missed the hail, said Dan Martens, a county Extension educator in Stearns, Benton and Morrison counties.
Fields in Morrison and Benton counties that were hit by hail on Aug. 13 are generally yielding about half of normal, from 50 to 70 bushels per acre, he said.
Soybean yields range from zero to 40 bushels per acre, Martens said. The average will be in the 15- to 20-bushel per acre range.
"The dry weather took its toll," he said.
Late-season moisture helped recharge soil moisture, but it has also slowed harvest progress, Martens said. There is concern with corn sprouting on the ear and soybean pods cracking as they dry. A fair amount of soybeans are being dried to take the moisture off.
Bill Wilcke, a University of Minnesota Extension engineer, said soybeans need to be handled more gently than corn in the dryer. If a person has a choice, he suggests using a natural air dryer rather than a heated air dryer.
If using a heated air dryer, back off on the temperature, Wilcke says, and do some experimenting. He has no firm data, but advises producers to watch the dryer output closely and monitor changes in soybean moisture content during the day.
Corn sprouting on the ear is another problem. Wilcke suggests producers check with their end user for any handling instructions. Some producers may want to set their combines to leave the sprouted kernels in the field. Livestock feeders may have more options, but the nutritional value of the sprouted kernels is unknown, he said. Growers may want to turn the temperature up in the dryer to kill the germ.
Southeastern Minnesota producers are also facing challenges. Farmers were finally able to get back in the fields last week after a rain-induced hiatus.
The rain caused soybeans to swell in the pod, especially the pods lower on the plant, said regional Extension educator Lisa Behnken. The stems were also chewy with all the moisture.
Farmers are going where they can, driving around wet spots and leaving some areas unharvested.
Soybean yields have been marginal, ranging from the 30s to the 60s, but with most reports in the 40s.
"It's definitely not what we've seen the past few years," Behnken said.
Corn yields will also be down. The corn suffered from drought and now excess rain. The plants have matured and stalks are breaking down and ears are dropping. Behnken conservatively estimates that yields will be off 20 bushels per acre from last year, with a lot of yields in the 140-bushel range.
Yield reports are all across the board in the Hutchinson area, said regional Extension educator Dave Nicolai, depending on which fields received rain and when. Sibley County corn yield reports have been in the 190- to 200-bushel range. Around Litchfield, corn yield reports range from 100 to 140 bushels. The majority of soybean yields are in the 40- to 50-bushel range.
Farmers have moved on to tillage and are applying anhydrous ammonia, Nicolai said.
Tillage is also going on in the eastern part of southwestern Minnesota, said regional Extension educator Liz Stahl.
Yields in the Worthington area averaged in the mid 40s to the mid-50s for soybeans and in the 150- to 160-bushel range for corn, Stahl said.
In the Montevideo and Clarkfield areas, soybean yields were reported in the high 40s, said regional Extension educator Jodi DeJong-Hughes, while in the Marshall area soybean yields are in the low 50s. Corn yields are 170 to 190 bushels in the Canby area and 110 to 120 bushels in the Granite Falls area.
In Brown and Nicollet counties, soybean yields are on target to average in the high 40s to low 50s, county Extension educator Wayne Schoper said. Corn yields will average 10 percent to 15 percent less than the five-year average of 176, he said.
Farmers with wet soils are urged to focus on harvest and not get too panicked about tillage.
"These tillage machines aren't really designed to work in slop," said Dave Pfarr, Pioneer area agronomist for south central Minnesota.
"The conditions of the field have to be ready," Behnken added. "You don't want to push it so you make conditions even worse."
If forced to choose, focus on the corn-on-corn acres first, Pfarr said, adding that a couple weeks without rain would make a huge difference in harvest progress.
"Quite frankly, we need a month without rain," he said. |
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