IP Crop Network, October Report

This monthly feature from SSGA’s Agronomy Action Team highlights growing conditions for Identity Preserved crops from different regions around the country. Thanks to the states/regions that contributed this month. If you would like to contribute, please get in touch with David Kee or Shane Frederick. 

Illinois
Harvest is progressing at a steady pace across the state with 40-50% completion on both corn and beans. Rain across much of the state and a wet forecast for the end of the week likely will keep the numbers pretty steady. Many local elevators in the south are already full of grain and have shut off open storage and moved to cash-only or priced-later, allowing the elevator to move the grain. Storage could become a real issue as harvest progresses.

Soybean yields across the state have been good to excellent. Central and northern Illinois report yields as expected to slightly better, while the south is seeing well-above-average yields. A lot of 70-80 bu field averages are being reported south of I-70 with strips in fields being checked at 90-100 bu.

Corn yields are running in line with beans for the most part. Central and northern Illinois are reporting average to above-average yields, while the south is seeing well-above-average yields. A few fields of more than 300 bu averages are being talked about, with a lot of growers settling in at 240-260 on fields where, historically, 180-190 would be considered excellent. The severe storms that passed through the state on Monday produced significant winds, possibly causing some corn lodging. The light of the day on Tuesday will tell the tale about how the unharvested fields fared.

Wheat planting has progressed at a steady pace with the northern areas being almost complete and the southern areas about 50-60% complete. Late-week rains will determine in how much wheat gets planted in the south. Although many growers will push planting into early November, saturated fields in the middle of October don’t dry out very fast, and acres will get curtailed very quickly if this ends up being significant rain event.

One of the biggest talking points in the countryside is availability of fertilizer and chemicals for the 2022 crop, let alone the significant price increase that these inputs have taken. A lot of rumors are circulating around chemicals, specifically glyphosate and glufosinate, which retailers are being told they will get 70-80% of what they sold in 2021. This could get very interesting!

North Dakota
Soybean harvest is about 70% complete in North Dakota. Yields are all over the board. Some fields were abandoned or harvested for hay in western North Dakota. Yields were below average throughout most of the state but better than expected with the drought conditions.

Areas of North Dakota received some late-season rains, and warm weather caused some of the soybeans to start regrowing, leading to some green bean issues. Kochia and waterhemp were very difficult to control in the hot, dry weather, making harvesting difficult.

Corn harvest is about 30% complete with below-average yields.

A lot of fall tillage has been completed, and it is good to see how many producers have incorporated cover crops into their production practices.

Michigan
Harvest of the 2021 Michigan soybean crop is off to a good start with about 30% harvested. Both yield and quality of the early harvest is reported as good. Yield reports range from problem fields in the 20s to excellent fields in the 70s. Several days of significant rainfall in the first week of October has stalled harvest activity and has allowed almost all fields to reach harvestable maturity. It is now just a matter of field conditions to get the rest of this crop through a combine and into storage. 

Bean moisture content has been lower than preferred with many growers harvesting 10-11% moisture in the first few days of October. Early reports of protein and oil content have been favorable. Seed size in some areas is smaller than expected.

Infections of tar spot in corn throughout the state has pulled some growers away from soybean harvest to harvest corn fields with poor stalk strength or those that have already lodged.

Minnesota
Minnesota is still dry, but recent rains continue to ease drought stress. According to the drought monitor, none of the state is rated D4 (exceptional drought). The northern third of the state is rated severe to extreme drought (D2-D3). Areas in the southern third of the state are rated no drought to Moderate drought (none, D0 or D1) 

Crop harvest is well underway in Minnesota. Corn silage and small grains have been harvested. Small grain growers report reduced yields; however, quality is decent. Minnesota dry bean harvest is almost complete with more than 90% in the bins. Soybean harvest in the northern third is near completion with relatively low yields reported. Soybean harvest in the southern third of the state is in full swing, however excessive green stems and morning dews have impacted harvest speeds. Farmer yield reports in this region vary from “definitely drought impacted” to “best year ever!” 

Field work continues. Tillage happens when resources (drivers and tractors) are available, mostly as the morning dew evaporates. Soil temperatures remain above 50°F, limiting fall N fertilizer applications. However, P and K fertilizer is going down. There is a great concern expressed as to input availability in the spring and input price uncertainty.  

Missouri
The hottest August occurred this year. We had an average state temperature of 77.5°F (1.5°F above average). Out of the June-July-August period for 2021, August was the hottest month, and August was the fourth warmer-than-average month seen this calendar year. We were also dealt a drier month with a statewide average of 3.02 inches of rain (0.69 inches below the long-term average). By the end of August there were indications of abnormally dry conditions impacting parts of central, southwestern, and southeastern Missouri.  

An estimated 52% of the corn harvest was completed by the October 4 USDA report. Soybean acres showed about two-thirds dropping their leaves, and only 11% of the crop in the state had been harvested. Fifty-five percent of the soybean crop for the state was rated as “good.” Missouri’s cotton crop is behind the previous two years average for bolls opened with only 80% opened, which translates to 2% of the state’s crop being harvested on October 3.  

Our rice harvest is faring better than 2020. We have about 54% of the rice crop harvested. As we roll into fall, winter wheat planting has begun in Missouri, with an estimated 6% of the crop planted.