Charles City Press
09-11-07
Good harvest coming, but not for everyone
By Kirk Klocke, News Editor
Most area farmers will see an average harvest, however, some received too
much rain at the wrong times in the season. Experts predict that the region as a
whole will experience yields about 5-10 percent below average.
Flying above Northern Iowa, pilots see green fields that will leave farmers with
plenty of spare change this fall. They also see brown fields; in some places, dry
crops stand just miles away from their lucky green neighbors.
From new equipment and treatment techniques to state-of-the-art forecasting,
the modern farmer has an ever-increasing array of choices to help him or her get
a great yield. But nature isn’t always fair; this year, Mother Nature played
favorites.
Subtle local differences left certain areas too moist in the spring. Others were too
dry during the growing season, and some areas received just the right amount of
late-season rain to help crops make it to the finish line in good shape.
George Cummins, an agriculture expert with the Iowa State University
Extension Service said, “Across the area, I?have farmers who tell me they’ve
got the best crops they’ve ever had, and I have other farmers who have had real
problems, and in some cases, total wipe-outs.”
Cummins said the number of “problem fields” is proportionately higher than usual
this year.
Inconsistent harvest expectations are due in part to local weather differences.
Hail storms and flooding in the spring delayed planting in some areas, Cummins
said.
“We had three very narrow planting windows this spring,” he said. “It was wet
early, and then we had a hard freeze that took down a lot of the alfalfa.
Timing is critical during planting season, and Cummins said that the people who
planted early and late in the season are getting the best results.
“Generally, people who got in [planted] early and late have good stands. The
crops there don’t have the problems that May planting did.”
According to Cummins, a lot of farmers who had hundreds of acres of crops to
plant started to worry in late-April that it was getting late, so they began planting
while the top of the soil was dry, but the ground beneath it was still wet.
When farmers enter their fields with large equipment while the ground is too wet,
the weight of the machines compacts the soil, causing problems later in the
season.
Ag-experts call this problem “compaction.” Compacted soil can make it more
difficult for the seeded crop to emerge from the ground. It can also lead to poor
rooting, which leaves crops more vulnerable to poor weather conditions.
“If we keep getting rain periodically, there is a chance that we’ll get a lot of
compaction.”
Compaction can take a toll on next year’s yields. However, Iowa’s cold winter
causes the ground to freeze; when water freezes, it expands - luckily, this
corrects some of the compaction problem.
Though there have been some unusually dry areas in the region, Cummins said
overall yield expectations for corn are only 5-10 percent below average.
This year’s mixed results are not all due to the weather. Other factors, including
pest control and new seeds are keeping some farmers ahead.
New chemicals and genetically modified seeds can produce a better crop in
worse conditions, but they also cost a lot more. Finding a balance between cost
and yield is an ongoing challenge.
Cummmins said the advantages of genetically modified seeds come at a high
price.
“Seventy to seventy-five dollars an acre is not uncommon,” he said. “Farmers are
planting more of these improved seeds, and they’re paying for it.”
If all those new choices aren’t making things complicated enough, farmers also
have to decide if they want to purchase crop insurance. Ethanol and other
products that create a market for value-added crops are increasing farmers’
earning potentials, but between more expensive production costs, risk
management insurance, and increasing land leases, a lot more is invested in the
process.
“The stakes are higher, and risk management is much more critical.”
Contact Kirk Klocke at kirk@charlescitypress.com or (641) 228-3211 ext. 27