March 28, 2024

From the Fields: Lack of rain dims prospects

Yield potential has fallen quite a lot in the last couple weeks with warm and dry conditions. We haven’t had a significant rain since Aug. 10. I have noticed the corn and beans drying down very inconsistently throughout the field. Dad and I have used Steve Johnson’s yield estimate formulas to estimate some yields and they are lower than they were a month and a half ago. Corn has a lot of tip back and I have seen some poor pollination in a few ears. The number of pods is there for the beans, but the pod size is smaller than normal. Getting a lower crop rating last week has helped the market, but I don’t think we’ll have the yields people were expecting.

We’re still working on the combine trying to get the wheels back on. It’s like every time we try to get that project done another problem comes up. We’re about ready to chop silage, but the corn is still not dry enough yet. We did get a lot of dry down last week, though. I don’t think we’ll get a lot this week with the cooler weather.

The family and I went camping this past weekend again. It might be the last one of the year depending on how the crop dries down and when we start chopping and harvesting. My brother and his fiancée are coming down for Labor Day, so we’ll have a nice time this weekend. Hope everyone has a fun and safe Labor Day weekend.

Monmouth, Ill.