Fort Dodge Messenger
11-02-07
Harvest season resumes as fields dry up
By Kristin Danley-Greiner, Farm News staff writer
The last full week of October saw producers pounding away at harvest, making
up for lost time where they could. Still some fields had not quite drained out well
enough to harvest, despite the smattering of sunny days and moderate
temperatures, so farmers there are waiting for the sun to work its magic or a
good freeze.
Roger Elmore, corn specialist with Iowa State University (ISU) Extension,
said that as of last Sunday, Iowa farmers statewide had 41 percent of the crops
harvested, which is eight percent behind the normal pace. Obviously, the rain
played a role in that reduction.
“South central Iowa was the furthest behind with only 22 percent harvested,”
Elmore said last week. “Since then, though, producers have not stopped
harvesting. I expect to see a major change in the numbers harvested by
Monday’s report.”
Corning producer Ray Gaesser said last Saturday that fields in his area were in
good condition for harvesting and that most everyone had resumed harvesting by
Oct. 22.
“Most of the soybeans are harvested and about 50 percent of the corn harvested.
Soybean yields are excellent; corn yields are about 15 percent below the past
two years,” he said on Oct. 27. “Looks like a good harvest week next week. We
plan to finish harvest Nov. 3.”
Pioneer agronomist Chris Doud said last week that the fields with poor drainage
in his territory of northwestern Iowa are “much more evident than normal during
this fall harvest season with the above average rainfall received across the state
of Iowa in recent weeks.”
“A return to more clear and sunny weather has helped to aid in evaporation and
drainage as Mother Nature does her job to remove the excess moisture standing
or held within the soil profile,” Doud said. “Ruts from harvest traffic are very
evident in fields throughout the state, as prospects for getting harvest going have
been a struggle up until the last five to seven days.”
Farmers in Doud’s area resumed harvest as early as Saturday, Oct. 20, but most
started back up early during that week.
“By the middle of this (past) week, combines were moving again at a steady click
with farmers picking and choosing which fields were fit enough to harvest without
increasing the risk of negatively impacting soil conditions for next season’s crop,”
Doud said. “Crops are holding out better than most people expected. The past
two weeks of rain and damp weather has sped up the deterioration of the plant
health and appearance.”
Isolated issues Doud reported last week include an increased incidence of
soybean shattering with the moisture and temperature fluxuations that everyone
experienced; a slight incidence of ear droppage in areas that have experienced
severe drought stress this past season; some marginal stalk integrity issue that
will become more apparent to farmers if winds and/or heavy rains were to reenter the forecast; some occasional reports of kernel sprouting where kernels on
the cob are actually damp and warm enough to germinate and sprout while still
on the ear; and issues with muddy fields and the risk of compaction. Areas with
poor drainage are “very evident” this fall season, Doud said.
“Aflatoxin issues have been fairly isolated to the Plymouth and Sioux county
areas of the far northwestern corner of the state,” he said last week. “Elevators
are becoming more aware of the potential problem with aflatoxins and are testing
accordingly to detect its presence on incoming loads. If farmers are concerned
about the potential contamination of aflatoxins in their corn fields, they should call
their insurance providers and that the grain tested by a reputable lab.
“As far as harvest progress goes, it appears to be extremely spread out this
season with the limited number of days suitable for harvesting,” Doud continued.
“Some farmers are still working to wrap up their soybean harvest, while other
farmers are over half completed with their corn harvesting this fall. Unfavorable
field conditions have forced a number of producers to temporarily abandon some
of their fields until a hard freeze occurs or more adequate drainage takes place to
allow for field traffic through the wettest portions of the field.”
Rockwell City area farmer Keith Sexton said he has been “amazed” at the
strength of plants in soggy fields.
“While there are some corn fields that show some lodging problems (hybrid
specific), I am amazed at how well most of the plants are standing,” he said. “The
fields are drying out, but much more slowly than when the day length is longer
and the temps are warmer and there is growing vegetation to utilize the moisture
from the saturated soils. It is not unusual to find corn or soybean plants standing
in waterlogged soil, or deep tracks from farm equipment trying to harvest those
plants.”
In Sexton’s area, some farmers resumed harvest on Saturday, Oct. 20, but most
waited until the following Monday.
“Most soybeans are harvested except those in ponded areas too wet to get
through,” he said. “By the end of this week (10/27), some guys are finished with
corn harvest—I would say this area has around 85 percent of the corn harvested.
I am at about 75-80 percent done. If the weather holds, there will not be much
2007 crop left in the field at this time next week.”
ISU Extension crops specialist John Holmes said that while fields have been
drying out, the extent of wet fields varies across his central Iowa coverage area.
Most producers returned to the fields early last week.
“Here in the Clarion area, the farmers are running without much problem except
the wet spots,” he said last week. “In the Somers area, it was really wet and
farmers were held out of fields longer than other areas. I believe that it’s been
really wet along Highway 30. I think nearly everybody is in the field now and
‘hitting it hard.’ I know there are several areas that still have soybeans in the
field.”
While moldy soybeans were a problem reported earlier in harvest in Holmes’
area, soybeans are starting to shatter and corn stalks now are deteriorating.
Palle Pedersen, ISU Extension soybean agronomist, said that some soybean
varieties are shattering, but that most farmers should be able to harvest them
soon. Many farmers in Pedersen’s area were able to get back in the fields last
Sunday, and he isn’t done harvesting yet either.
“I am not done yet—I may be done this weekend,” he said Oct. 26. “I lost more
experiments up north, since the plots started to shatter and data therefore
wouldn’t be viable. Low lying areas are still wet and most farmers are combining
around them. I assume that we will be able to get them combined as soon as we
get more frost.”