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. You should also follow David Kee on Twitter for some of the latest, most-interesting information on agronomy and research that affect IP and other farmers.

Illinois

Harvest is in full swing with soybean harvest peaking for the past 7-10 days. The phrase we have heard the most describing soybean yields is, “I thought they would be a little better.” This likely is coming from the standpoint of better-than-expected corn yields, with beans just not being at the same level. Fields that last year were making 70-80 are making 60-70 this year. As we move to the lighter, more-variable soils, yields are even more erratic. Growers reporting 5-70 in the same pass across the field.

Field conditions are extremely dry with field and equipment fires happening on a daily basis. A lot of soybeans are being cut in the 8-11% moisture range. The late-planted beans and double-crop beans after wheat are definitely going to take a yield hit from the dry finish to the summer. What once were 50-60 double-crop beans are now going to be in the 30-40 range.

Michigan

Harvest of the Michigan soybean crop is in full swing. Early harvest was limited this year, but the first week of October allowed many growers to begin harvest. The USDA crop weather report from Oct. 2 showed soybeans as 14% harvested. The second week of October was more active than the first with most farmers making good progress. Field conditions are very good in most cases with combines, grain carts and trucks moving through fields without the ruts that seem more common in recent years. This is allowing good planting conditions for winter wheat, which may see an increase in acreage this year. Reports of low grain moisture have been reported in some places, while other areas have perceived that drying is slower than expected.

The dry conditions from this growing season are evident with reduced yields on lighter, soils but many other soils are producing better-than-expected yields. State average yields seem to be in line with our long-term average yield. If this happens, many people will be surprised to see average yields with such limited rainfall in many areas.

Minnesota

Minnesota is dry. Rain will be needed to ease drought stress. According to the Oct. 6 drought monitor report, none of Minnesota is rated D4 (exceptional drought). However, approximately 75% of the state is rated abnormally dry to extreme drought (D0-D3). An area in the southern third of the state (3.71 % of the state) is rated severe drought (D3)

Due to the dry conditions, crop harvest is well underway in Minnesota. Small grains have been harvested. Small grain growers report better-than-expected yields. Quality is decent. Silage corn harvest is all but completed. Minnesota edible bean harvest is almost complete with more 75% in the bins.  Soybean harvest, while a bit late, is in full swing. Excessive weed escape, soybean green stems and morning dews have impacted harvest speeds. Farmer yield reports vary from “Better than expected” to “My 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 degrees F, limiting fall N fertilizer applications. However, P and K fertilizer is being applied. There is a great concern expressed as to input availability in the spring and input price uncertainty.

North Dakota

Soybean harvest is in full swing in most areas of North Dakota, and harvest conditions are great. Small acres of late-seeded soybeans or lower areas of the field need more time until harvest. The hard frost we experienced this week may have minimal impact on soybean yield and quality because most soybeans are at advanced growth stages and are less susceptible to frost damage. We haven’t received information on yield, quality or test weight yet.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor Map, the majority of eastern and central North Dakota is in moderate drought, while some areas in western North Dakota are in severe drought. A considerably higher amount of precipitation is needed across the state to replenish the soil for the 2023 crop.

Weed escapes are becoming evident during this time of the year as we observe water hemp, kochia and others during and after harvest. Fall weed control is happening on some farms. After the small grain harvest, farmers are also focusing on soil sampling to test nutrients and soybean cyst nematode. Some white mold pressure on soybeans was reported this year.

According to North Dakota State University’s 2022 IPM Crop Survey, adult grasshoppers were observed in 90% of the fields surveyed. The highest densities of grasshoppers were observed in western North Dakota.

The drought from the past two years dramatically increased grasshopper populations and favored reproduction, which means grasshoppers may become an issue during the next growing season. No soybean aphids were observed in 87% of the soybean fields surveyed for the fourth year in a row. Bean leaf beetles are becoming a more common pest of soybeans in North Dakota. Beetles were detected in sweep net samples and defoliation estimates in soybean.

Defoliation ranged from 1 to 20% defoliation. Spider mites were observed in 30% of the soybean fields scouted and were most common on field edges late in the season, according to the NDSU Crop & Pest Report.

Missouri  

A very dry beginning to harvest has given farmers a great start in getting crops out across Missouri. However, the recent cool, fall temperatures have slowed drying in the field for both corn and soybeans. This is especially true for the fields that were planted a little later than average due to the wet spring. Many reports of green stems are making soybean harvest go very slow. Usually, green stems are in fields that received a fungicide or in the later-planted fields. Yield reports have been both positive and negative for both corn and soybeans, mostly depending on areas that caught rains versus areas that did not. A rain across most of Missouri early this week will likely keep farmers out of the field for the rest of the week. Cold temperatures look to settle in early next week, which likely will bring our first frost for a large portion of the state. 

According to the latest USDA NASS update, 93% of the corn crop in Missouri is mature with 53% of the crop harvested. Only 41% of the corn crop is rated as “good. Overall, 88% of the Missouri soybean crop is dropping leaves, and only 22% of the crop was harvested as of October 9, with 42% of the crop being labeled as “good.”  

For our other crops, cotton is pushing to maturity with 98% of the bolls open and 14% of the crop harvested. The overall crop rated good is 57%. The Missouri rice crop is closing in on being harvested with the dry conditions seen the past 30 days. Currently, 78% of the rice crop is harvested. The winter wheat crop is going in the ground with 12% planted, and 3% is emerged. For our pasture and range acres, 19% of the crop is rated as good.  

Note: To see state Crop Progress reports from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS): click here.