Soybean harvest progresses with mostly good results

FORT COLLINS, (Colo.): Rain early last week stalled field work across the US Midwest, though four of the Crop Watch soybean fields were completed within the last several days and only one was lackluster.

Each week the 11 Crop Watch producers offer yield expectations on a 1-to-5 scale with a 3 reflecting yield close to farm average, 4 solidly above, and 5 well above average or record yields.

Both Iowa producers harvested their soybeans last week-western Iowa on Tuesday and eastern Iowa on Thursday. The western field’s yield ended at 5, above the 4-range scores that were maintained most of the summer but equal to the previous week’s expectation. Anecdotally, the producer said the field perhaps should have scored a 6 because of the record it set.

That nonexistent 6 score was the eastern Iowa producer’s same sentiment three years ago, though this year’s soybean field finished notably off those levels. Final yield came in at 4.5, above the previous prediction of 4.25, as the very little rain the field received in August was timely.

The Nebraska soybeans, finished on Thursday, also came in at 4.5 versus the prior score of 4.25, and the producer credits subsoil moisture and timely August rain. The Indiana soybeans were completed on Friday and were slightly disappointing, scoring 2.75 instead of the expected 3 due to excessively dry weather in August.

Aside from the completed fields, only the southeastern Illinois producer changed soybean expectations this week, raising yield to 5 from 4.75 based on early progress in the field. The 11-field, unweighted average soybean yield score rose to 3.66 from 3.61 last week.

Producers intend to keep working on soybeans this week. Crop Watch soy harvest has begun in Minnesota, South Dakota and southeastern Illinois, but parts of the latter two fields remain too green yet. The Ohio soybeans are also too green to get started.

The North Dakota grower will likely get to soybeans early this week. He reports that soybean harvest is progressing rapidly and that around half of the fields in the area are complete.