From the Fields: Above expectations

September already? Where did summer go? This past week we finished up two custom corn silage chopping jobs, one in Illinois and one in Wisconsin. We have a couple more custom corn silage jobs along with chopping our own corn for our steers yet to do. The custom jobs mean a lot of time on the road between home and clients’ farms seeing different countryside than usual. When we took the tractors and wagons north we didn’t see signs of any corn silage chopping happening anywhere else. There was a lot of hay down, though. We seemed to be trendsetters. The choppers have come out in full force since.

Crops were noticeably different every day this week. Corn is maturing and starting to dry down for harvest. With the noticeably higher prices of LP it will be a good thing for the corn to get as much dry down time in the field as possible before the combines roll. Soybeans are yellowing and leaves are starting to drop. We did receive some rain this week, as well, enough that we were rained out of chopping early two days, but not so much we couldn’t keep going the next day. It’s still really dry out there in the fields and more rain would be welcome throughout the region.

Being a little higher in a tractor going down the roads gave a better perspective to look across fields. The lack of moisture this year is quite evident on hilltops and lighter soils. There is tip back in the corn, but getting out there into fields with the chopper it’s surprising how well the corn has done with the little moisture it did get this growing season. The tip back varies greatly depending on variety and plant date as to when it pollinated and grain fill was happening with the weather conditions at those important growth stages. From what I have seen, the varieties planted early are the ones that look the best and have the least tip back. Genetics have come a long way, but Mother Nature still has the final say on what the yields will be.