Harvest Wraps Up in Journal Country

As we sit down to enjoy our Thanksgiving feasts, area farmers are no doubt thankful for the bounty of their harvests. With November waning and balmy fall temps fading, most producers have largely wrapped up harvest in Journal Country.

According to area sources, by early this week, most farmers were finished with corn. Chad Voss of Agtegra in Langford said that he would estimate that over 90% are done with corn. That fact was echoed further north by Full Circle Location Manager Casey Erickson in Forman, N.D.

Statewide, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, as of last Friday, corn harvested was at 93%, behind 99% last year, but ahead of 86% for the five-year average.

As far as yields and overall impressions for corn, it seems most farmers were comfortable to fairly happy with their crop. Voss said, “Most guys were pretty surprised by how well the corn turned out. We had pretty good yields for as spotty as the moisture was.”

Brady Wieker out of Full Circle in Hecla heard similar reports in his neck of the woods. “Most guys were pretty impressed with their corn, especially with the wet, then dry conditions.”

 Joe Gustafson of Full Circle in Britton added corn was all the way across the board from what he heard from producers. “You have to remember those early season growing conditions. The seed bed was not in the best condition, ranging from wet to extremely wet.” Erickson echoed that sentiment, “Farmers definitely saw yields affected based on whether they planted in those wet conditions.”

Though corn was coming out quickly in the last weeks with the nice weather, many farmers faced wet corn. This caused delays for some as local elevators faced bottle necks. “There is only so much storage space for wet corn,” noted Voss.

Looking back, the local experts noted that the soybean harvest was largely good across the area. “Everyone was pretty happy with beans,” said Gustafson. “It’s amazing how rain in August can help those beans carry through.”

The timing of the bean harvest was normal to a little late, according to locals. Voss said moisture in October plus the lack of good drying weather and no early killing frost slowed some up, but most were still satisfied with the result. Voss added that farmers in his area reported average to above average yields on beans.

Overall, he attributes the satisfactory yields of area crops to seed technology. “Genetics are fabulous in times of drought these days,” said Voss. “Especially for corn, the drought guard genetics were really impressive this year.”

Looking forward, the conditions are looking favorable as we enter winter. “Fall tillage is looking nice,” said Erickson. Gustafson added that soil conditions are looking good locally with adequate soil level moisture.

According to the SD crop report for last week, Topsoil moisture supplies rated 7% very short, 21% short, 67% adequate, and 5% surplus. Subsoil moisture supplies rated 8% very short, 30% short, 59% adequate, and 3% surplus.

“To keep those moisture levels where we need, we could use a little snow this winter, but not record snow again,” said Wieker. “A little snow to cover up the dirt and keep it from blowing is very beneficial.”

Beyond conditions in the field, Voss added that farmers will be keeping an eye on markets as well as global politics. “Markets are sluggish and commodity  prices are down a little from where we thought they would be,” he noted. He also said conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine can impact prices and cause some unknowns in the markets.