By: Sheila Crowley
Staffwriter
Mother Nature has been testing the patience of everyone. For farmers, though, this fall has been a true test of faith. It’s been cold and wet so far this October, delaying crop harvest.
With the cold, cloudy, and rainy…and now snow, many farmers are beginning to question when they will be able to get in the field at all. Many have opted to go after their corn until the beans are dry enough to take out. Last year the farmers battled excessive rain but managed to have pretty much everything out and field work done by the first week in November.
The farmers raced against the weather to get their crops in this past spring due to multiple rainstorms and as a result will limit their ability to get some of those late planted wet spots out and might be forced to leave some of those bushels in the field in order to avoid getting stuck.
Another concern is crop damage. The heavy rains in June and early July left many fields with barren portions. In addition these fall rains can cause damage to crops causing mold or structural problems.
The wet weather has affected the soybean harvest the most. Traditionally the beans are taken first or the plant’s pods can open and the beans will fall to the ground if left in the field for too long.
Traditionally by this point and time, over 50% of the crops have been taken out. According to the reports the area farmers have maybe gotten 15-20% done on the beans and about the same on corn. Some are reporting the corn yields are approximately 40 bushels to an acres less than a year ago while the beans around 15 bushels less than last year.
According to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics there were only 1.1 days suitable for fieldwork. Corn moisture is averaging 22 percent with the corn crop condition rated 75 percent good to excellent. Thirty-eight percent of the soybean crop has been harvested.
If there’s a bright spot in all of this, the current weather forecast is for warming temperatures this week and no moisture expected in the 10-day outlook.
